NEW from Models Own – DIAMOND LUXE – containing real Diamond Dust!

Every now and again, an email pops into my inbox which I immediately want to read, this is one of those. At the minute, I am obsessed with nail polish, particularly as we move from Summer to Autumn and then to winter. Whilst the weather is still undecided about what it wants to do, there is still a chance to wear those lovely bright colours before morning to the Berry and Black shades.

Then I saw these!

With 10 brand-new opulent polishes that are Luxe by name and Luxe by nature, each polish contains real Diamond Dust to deliver a completely unique, multi-dimensional super-sparkly finish and some serious bling appeal!  The shades from left to right are called Princess Pink, Trillion Taupe, Heart Red, Pear Purple, Marquise Maroon, Carat Coral, Asscher Blue, Radiant Pink, Emerald Green, Oval Plum     

The ultra-fine diamond dust glides smoothly onto nails, giving a hint of sophisticated shimmer, coupled with the colourful shades for year-round grown-up glam. They are quick-drying, achieve a long-lasting, ultra-smooth sprinkling of sparkle for the most glamorous manicure.

Price at just £4.99 each, they launch EXCLUSIVELY online at www.modelsownit.com on September 19th in all UK Models Own Bottleshops from September 20th and in Superdrug stores nationwide from September 24th. I will most definietly be looking up these shades and trying them out for myself.

Will you be trying them out?

You Beauty Discovery Box - August Edition

For the past few months I have been getting the You Beauty Discovery Box which you can see February,  March,  April,  May,  June and July with previous box contents.  This month my sixth box has arrived and I have said I am just as impressed.

Whenever it is time to pick the contents of your box, there is always one item that goes really quickly, no matter how early I find myself logging in to select the products I would like to try, I miss the one I want to try most.  That said, I like this months box and this is it.

This months box is themed "Summer Essentials" and it is designed to give me an insight into what the team at YBD thought should be on the shortlist for the Summer essentials and it became a mixture of protection, recovery, hydration, nourishment and camouflage! As I have said before, I love is how the box fits through my letterbox, it is packed really delicately and the box really study and it has never looked disheveled.

Within the magazine which comes with the box we given the opportunity to try some of the following products, the idea being you choose two and there will also be two little extra treats, so this month there are not two, but four and they included:

So we have two samples of Jimmy Choo perfume, one for him and one for her.  Eau De Parfam which is for her is described as:

"Jimmy Choo Eau de Parfum expresses an aura of strength and beauty. Glamorous in attitude, confident, intelligent and with a sense of fashion and fun, the fragrance is a modern Fruity Chypre with warm, rich, woody depths".

And Jimmy Choo Man which has just launched is descirbed as:

"Jimmy Choo MAN has a powerful freshness set amongst a woody, aromatic fougère. The fragrance opens with crisp vivacity complemented with calming lavender notes. Mandarin essence tempers the citrus notes and blends with the subtle sweetness of fruity notes from honeydew melon".

Then we have FaceD 3-Luronics instant effect cream serum which is desgined to visible reduce wrinkles and expression lines from the first application - BIG CLAIM!! It then goes on to say:

Formulated with super lightweight molecules of hyaluronic acid that act in depth, obtaining an improvement of skin hydration over time:

• Hydration increase of 9% after 14 days.
• Elasticity increase of 9% after 14 days.

So I am looking forward to seeing how good this actually is, though I only have a sachet which contains 2ml.

The final free product is a 4 way nail buffer to file, smooth, buff and polish your nails, something you can never have too many of in my opinion.

So now to my choices, this month there was a choice of nine products which included: 

• ROSE & CO.
• CHERRY KISS LIP BALM, PEGGY SAGE
• NAIL POLISH (Nude COLLECTION), MARSK
• RICH LIST, MINERAL EYESHADOW, LOUISE GALVIN
• SACRED LOCKS TREATMENT MASQUE, JUSTBE BOTANICALS
• HYDRATING SERUM, GAZELLI
• TRIPLE YOUTH WITH WHITE OIL DUO, EUCERIN
• SUN FLUID MATTIFYING SPF50, EUCERIN
• SUN FLUID MATTIFYING SPF30, DANIEL SANDLER
• LONG LASTING WATERPROOF EYELINER (AQUA)

This is what I selected:

Peggy Sage Nail Polish Nude Selection.  I am always on the look out for a nice nude shade, not one which is cream or pearly white, they annoy me, I want nude.  This one is described as follows:

Natural-looking nails with a Nude Attitude!

Discover the very trendy natural and sensual Nude collection, perfect for discreet beauties and fans of elegant nude colours! A very fluid texture for easy application - and quick drying time. Hold lasts for up to 6 days and the colour retains its shine for up to 4 days.

The Louise Galvin Sacred Locks Moisture Masque which is described as follows:

The masque contains a naturally modified form of honey combined with wheat proteins and natural conditioning agents to immediately hydrate the hair, leaving it nourished, shiny and full of body.

Ximenia oil, also known as Seaside Plum acts as natural ‘silicone’ to smooth and treat hair without creating build up. The masque is a twice-weekly intensive treatment for hair but can also be used as a daily conditioner for moisture depleted hair.

It contains no SLS, Parabens, silicones, petrochemicals, polymers or synthetic fragrances and smells really fruity.

So for a £6.95 subscription, my box has a value of around £15 which is more than double the value for money and not a bad box.

What do you think to do this? Do you subscribe to these boxes?  What would you have chosen? If you subscribe, link your post below so I can see what you got.

Nailing it with Ted Baker

Spring has arrived and summer isnt too far away and now is the time to ensure hands and feet are in the best condition we get them in so we can be wearing cute sandals and flip flops with toenails being painted some amazing shades and the same for our fingernails as the darker winter shades are final stored away and out come the lighter, happy bright colours.

With that in mind, Ted Baker have a list of beauty tools exclusively available in Boots that we need to use to achieve that beautiful manicured nail and pedicured foot look.

Teds New Buffer* which is a clever four sided nail file, comes encased in the beautiful foxglove packaging and it allows you to file, smooth, buff and polish in 4 quick steps.  This file is so handy, since I got my hands on it i have used it a lot and for £5 it is an absolute bargain.

Next comes Ted's nail clippers* which again have the same print packaging as the nail buffer and they have been designed for accuracy and ease to leave your nails looking trim and beautifully neat. Priced at £6 these clippers are a lot smaller than ones I am used to using, that said they fit perfectly in my make-up bag.

No Ted Baker collection is complete without some stunning nail polish and this time we have a set called Delightfully Dusk* which are described as being an iridescent pair of precious metals , Silver lining is a lustrous shimmer that when coupled with the prettier-than-pretty Delightfully Dusk, is designed to make you shine.  The photo below shows Delightfully Dusky which is such a beautiful dusty pink colour and when it catches the light, not only is it really sparkly, but there are also hint of silver too.  This duo is available for £8.50

What do you do to ensure your nails are in tip top form for the start of summer? Do you have any hints, tips and secrets we should all know about?

Wantable Make-up Box for February

I don't know whether you have heard of Wantable and that they now ship to the UK?  Well I was offered the chance to try and test out of their boxes** for review purposes.  The choice of boxes with Wantable are:

• Make-up - within your box you will get 4-5 full sized products
• Fashion Accessories - 3-4 boutique accessories
• Intimate - 4-5 premium essentials

All the products you get within your box come from your profile which you set-up and then complete a series of questions answering how much you like/dislike things, it is quite a comprehensive form and the idea is that it is used to select products for you box, so for example, if you don't like mascara, you can say so and you should not get any within your box.

I opted for the make-up box to try and test, completed my questionnaire and firstly, I was quite impressed with how sturdy the box is and how really nice packaged the contents were as to avoid them getting broken, dented or smashed during its shipment.

Now to the contents in a bit more detail:

ncLA Nail Lacquer - retails for $16

In shade Drop Dead Gorgeous which is deep royal blue shade with added sparkle, I am yet to try this, but it is the kind of shade I would wear on my toes.

LAQA & Co - Fat lip pencil in Wolfman - retails for $18

This isn't a product I have come across before, though I do love how pretty the shade is and it is really lovely once applied.

DEX New York Lipgloss - retails for $18

The shade of this is called Christopher Street Orchid and as you can see from the picture above it is a lovely shade of pink and once on the lips it is slightly tacky, but not so much that I want to rub it off.  It looks great on its own or over some lipstick

Sorme Shimmer Glow - retails for $24.5

This is a sparkling mineral face and body bronzer in Bronzed 85 and it is like nothing I have used before.  You simply shake the powder down into the brush by turning it upside down and then brush it over your face and body as you deem appropriate.  Inside the wand, the shade does look quite dark, but once applied it is quite light and there is a lot of sparkle.

Sorme Anti-aging Trial Size - retails for $0

It says on the packet that this is a silky perfecting primer which smoothes skins surface, fills in wrinkles and diminishes discolourations for flawless long lasting make-up.  It then goes on to say "cliniqually proven Dermaxyl helps reduce the depth of lines, wrinkles and crows feet as Vitamins A, C and E plus nourishing Grape Seed Oil hydrate the skin and help prevent free radical damage".  So quite a lot of claims for this little sachet to live up too and I am looking forward to putting it to the test. 

Wantable boxes cost $36 per box, which is roughly £21-£22 per month, my box is worth a whopping $76.5 or £46 which is amazing really and I have been introduced to some new brands and some products I have never used before. 

If this is something you think you might like to try, simply click HERE and choose your box.

GOSH Cosmetics SS14 New Launches!

On Tuesday (11th March) I attended the GOSH Cosmetics SS14 Press Event with the lovely Kimberley from Kimberleys Beauty Blog. 

I was really looking forward to this event because although I had seen some of the products in Superdrug, I don't really know much about the brand itself, so it was a great opportunity to go along and learn more about them.

As we arrived we were greeted by this amazing display of badges which spelt out GOSH SS14 (how clever) and Kimberely and I became a little bit too attached to it and well, we now own most of the badges from that board.  

Anyway, upon arrival, we were one of the first few to arrive and we were greeted with a lovely glass of bubbles and given a chance to swatch products, every beauty bloggers dream and we also got to have some make-overs to try out the products, ask questions and so on. 

I am really quite taken with two things that I saw at the event.  Firstly the nail polishes, when offered the chance to have a manicure I am not going to turn it down, I love having it done, my only problem was choosing between the shades:

All of these shades are fantastic and definitely perfect for Spring and Summer.  Whenever I come across new nail polishes I always gravitate towards darker colours and my final decision as to which colour to have rested on these two:

I ended up choosing the Frosted Plum version which can be seen below with and without a top coat.  I absolutely love this shade it is just so pretty and colourful.

We also got to play with the Prime 'N' Set - Primer and Mattifying Setting Powder which is said to transform the skin by visually minimising the pores, fine lines, redness and imperfections.  What I love about this primer is that it is a loose powder and you can wear it on its own, over foundation or apply it throughout the day to mop up that excess oil if you have unwanted shine.  It is both perfume and paraben free and when it was demonstrated on me I was really impressed with it.  It is available to buy now and you can find it HERE.

Then we had a play with the Lip Lacquers which are enriched with Argan Oil and Vitamin E, so as well as making your lips look fantastic they also look after and moisturise them.  They are available in 8 different colours which you can see HERE and below in the photo.  I tried the Lovely which is shade 002 and it is a beautiful nude with great staying power, at the event we were welcomed with a glass of bubbles and some amazing canapes and this lip lacquer didn't budge - impressive and all for £5.99.  There was also 8 new shades of the Velvet Touch Lipsticks that we also got to test and try and you have everything from nudes, pinks and reds. I opted for the nude, and I found it to be a really creamy texture. They all have added vitamin E and are priced at £5.99.

Eye Crayons are something I have become quite a fan of, they are easy to use, easy to apply, easy to make dramatic or be neutral everyday look and GOSH introduced me to their Forever Eyeshadow Stick which are highly pigmented crayons which you don't need to sharpen, just twist and they are waterproof too.

There are 8 shades available which are also now available HERE. What I liked about these was the ability to apply them quickly, easily and have a great colour not to mention that you can also use them as eyeliners, as I was shown.  The 8 shades available mean there is something for everyone, be it light copper, beige, plum and a very beautiful green, some of which are swatched below.

I had a fantastic time at this event, it was lovely to be able to swatch and try out new products and have and watch make-overs with them so that you could see how best to use them as well as being able to ask questions of the professionals present.  

You can find all of these products on the GOSH Cosmetics website and I also want to thank the lovely Daisy and the rest of the team for this amazing goody bag, I literally cannot wait to try these out.

Of course I also got to have some badges, you can never have enough and they all represent a product from the #SS14 range.

Do you use GOSH Cosmetics? Do you have a favourite product?

Snails for your Nails!

I have no little people, but I am a mummy of three fur-kids whom most of you now know are my cats. Child issue aside, I was asked if I would like to try some nail polishes designed for little princesses called Snails, which stands for Safe Nails, a French-made chemical-free brand of kids nail polish.

Snails was started when Jeanette Sklivanou, a mum of two, scoured the market for safe non-toxic nail polish to add colour to the imaginative play of her little ones. She quickly found that such a product just didn't exist — so she created SNAILS**.

A brief description

"SNAILS Kids nail polish is unlike any other you will find. You’ll delight in our simple natural nail polish formula which is optimally safe and child-friendly. Our revolutionary patented formula contains just three main ingredients: water, acrylic polymer and non-toxic colorants and is paraben free. This sets us apart from other products. The toxic trio of Dibutyle Phythalate (DBP), Toluene and Formaldehyde dominate many children’s nail polishes currently on the market. Such chemicals are banned in Europe due to their links with cancer, birth defects and other illness. So you will not find a trace of these harmful substances in SNAILS. Just pure ingredients that are kind and gentle on little nails".

Some of the highlights of this brand:

• Revolutionary formula — containing just water, acrylic polymer and non-toxic colorants, SNAILS is safe in its simplicity. 
• Totally water soluble — SNAILS washes off easily with simple soap and water, making harsh solvent-based toxic remover a thing of the past.
• Environmentally friendly — from biodegradable packaging and lead-free bottles, to a strict no animal testing policy. 
• Hypoallergenic — SNAILS is chemical, Paraben and toxin free, so little nails are kept safe and sound and splendidly coloured.
• Vivacious colour choices — every SNAILS polish delivers glorious high-quality gloss and a deliciously gentle fragrance.

Here are the products:

These polishes come in a cute little bottle with a white lid and a pretty little bow to match the shade of polish, almost like a childrens version of Ciate in many ways.  The polish itself is smooth and is really easy to apply, more so than some of my adult brands, a few of whom could learn a thing or two here!

The two shades:

• Raspberry Pie - Glossy purple. Wear purple when you want to encourage fantasy, mystery and imagination
• Gingerbread - A hot, sun kissed orange shade, summer sunset in a bottle!

Raspberry pie I absolutely love, it would fit in perfectly with the whole pantone of the year "radiant orchid" theme.  Once applied it dries in just over a minute, which is perfect for little ones because I know they are not going to sit and wait much longer.  Last-ability is also quite impressive, I managed to wear mine all day without too much wear and tear but when it came to removing it properly there was no need to nail polish remover, I simply used soap and water and rubbed each nail and the polish came off and there was no staining to my fingernails and no trace of colour left on my nail.

Available from safe-nails.com polishes are €8 each, the site also shows all the countries they are for sale.

What are your thoughts on washable nail polish?