Nina Pro purple polishes

I am testing out blogging with my phone, so if this post looks rubbish, that's why.
I was in Sally's the other day and spotted a special offer on Nina pro nail polishes. They are normally 3.49 and they were buy one get one half price. I got punki purple and purple-xing (the glitter one). They are both gorgeous! The plain one is actually matte, and the glitter is just amazing. I haven't tried these on my nails yet, but will report back.

Have you tried any Nina Pro?

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I'm back

Once again, its been a while, due to all sorts of stresses in my life. I am now finished uni forever, and waiting for my nursing registration to come through, and then I'll be a real nurse. I just need a job now, and all will be good.

Other than doing all sorts of glamourous nursing tasks, what have I been up to? Not much! One of the most exciting things things was going to a blogger's event in Edinburgh, hosted by the lovely Stella and Snooki from Alison Jameson Consultants. It was a great afternoon held in posh hotel Tigerlily, where we got lovely cocktails, our hair and nails done by Medusa Hairdressing.

Here is my hair do, which was a lovely curly half up/half down effort-

My nails, which were a lovely nude shade that I am trying to recreate. Any suggestions for a colour match, do let me know! (The other nails are Rani's)

It was great to meet all the lovely Scottish Bloggers again, and have a good look at all the products that AJC represent.

We went away with some lovely goody bags, so I have lots of products to review for you, including Phil Smith hair products, Osmo hair products, and Tantruth fake tan.



Please do recommend your favourite nude polishes that look similar to the one above!

Raw Gaia Bamboo and Pumice Exfoliant

My skin isn't amazing, and I am in a constant search for products to make it smoother/clearer/generally amazing! When I received an email from Raw Gaia asking if I wanted to review a new, all natural exfoliant, I jumped at the chance. Now, I'll be honest, I probably didn't read the press release with the email properly, as I got a surprise when it arrived. I was expecting your usual cream based exfoliator, but no, this one is a powder!

The exfoliant comes in a 50g plastic tub, and costs £20.99. The directions given are to wet your face, and then dip wet fingers into the product and massage over the face for 2 mins. I wasn't sure how much product to actually use, so I dipped one finger in, thinking I could add more if needed.

I have to say, it is a strange product to use. The sensation is like rubbing sand on your face, or at least what I imagine that would feel like, its not something I make a habit of. It did feel a little abrasive, but maybe I rubbed a bit too hard. If you have sensitive skin then I would go gently with this. However, I really like how my face feels after using it. It feels really soft, and when using it you feel like its really getting into all the nooks and crannies of your face. I also asked my Mum and my friend Katie to try this out, and they had the same opinion, strange to use, but good results. I suppose it depends whether you want a nice relaxing experience, or a functional one. If its functional, then this product is for you!

The product itself is 100% natural and organic, without chemicals and preservatives. This isn't something that I am particularly bothered about, but I know alot of you out there are.

I like the powder format, it means the small tub will last for alot of uses, and if you are travelling you could just take a tiny container full and have enough!

The only drawback I see is the price, as I am a skint student (not for much longer), the price would put me off at the moment. However, I can see the product lasting ages, so price per use is probably very good.

You can read more or buy the product here.

Have you tried any unusual natural products?

Disclaimer: This product was a PR sample, but this did not affect my review in any way.

Sphinx NOTD

I am pleased to report that since I last posted (a while ago, I know) I have still managed to resist nail biting! As such, I finally have nails! The only downside to this tale is that I have also started my final placement as a student nurse, which means I can't really have long nails or wear polish when working. I will hopefully also find an amazing nursing job soon, so this is something which will be pretty much a constant. Sods law, I am finally able to grow longer nails, and I need to cut them. However, I am not letting this put me off, and plan to make the most of my days off, and create some nail art. I have been going a bit mad buying nail art supplies on ebay recently, so expect a good few posts on my bargains. Anyway, on to a recent NOTD, Sphinx from the 17 supreme shine range.

This is a muted gold shade, which looks amazingly shiny in sunlight, but did look a little sludgy when indoors.

The polish claims up to 7 days wear, but I didn't manage anything like that. I did wear it to guide camp though (I'mn a leader) so that was probably an unfair test. It did last well for a good few days though. Application was smooth and easy.

I particularly like the larger sized brush, which I have shown compared to the brush of my topcoat. It made application very easy, as I needed less strokes to cover the nail. Overall, this polish is a winner!

Which 17 polishes do you like?

Nail challenge continues

I know, its been ages since I last blogged. I have been going through a bit of a tough time, but now I am back smiling!

If you have been reading for a while, you may remember post about my stop nail biting challenge. You can read it here. Well, I did well for a while, and then I went back to uni in September, and the biting began again. However, I have now started back with my challenge, and its going well so far. I have bought a few things to help me, so thought I would let you know as they may be of use to any nail biters out there.

Firstly, I used Mavala Stop. I got this in Boots for £4.03. There were a few other similar products  for around the same price. The idea of this is simple, you paint this on your nails, and it makes them taste disgusting, so you don't want to bite them. It really did work for me, the taste was vile! Even touching my fingers to my mouth left a nasty taste. It is non-toxic, and says it is suitable for children over 3, so can help with thumb sucking too. For me, it helped me get over the initial period, and let my nails grow a bit. I realised in my previous attempts that even though I managed to stop the biting, I kind of pulled on the tips of my nails with my teeth (I know, sounds odd), which would lead to them splitting. The stop put me off doing that too! Then, once my nails had grown a bit, and I was well out of the way of biting, I got the Sally Hansen hard as wraps. This is a nail toughener, which is supposed to be a bit like gel wraps. It applies quite thickly, but does make your nails very strong, and shiny. This has thankfully managed to stop most of my nails from splitting, and they even  survived a weekend at guide camp. I have used various nail hardeners before, but this is different as it is like a thick protective coating for your nails. It is very hard to remove though! This was around £6 or £7 from Superdrug.

The other thing I do to try and keep me on track with the challenge, is buy a few nail treats. I got this really cute cupcake nail file in Sally's for a few pounds, and the 3 way buffer in Superdrug for around £3. Having a nice file spurs me on the grow my nails to a length that actually requires filing! The buffer is good for creating a nice shine on the nails, and leaves a smooth base for polish. Buffing also apparently stimulates nail growth. Also, if I do can a wee snag on the side of my nail, that might turn into a break, I buff this down, to try and save the nail. Seems to be working ok so far!

I hope this has helped any of you out there with the same problem as me, and for the rest of you, it means you can see some NOTD posts soon!

17 Vintage Love collection

17 have done it again! A new limited edition collection with some great pieces. As ever, I got pulled in by their 3 for 2 offer, and ended up getting six items from the new collection.

I just love all the shades, and the packaging of the eye palette. There were a few more nail polishes in the collection, and I think a lip gloss too.

Blusher in first kiss, eye palette in metallic nude, blusher in first flush. Even the names of the blushers are great!  I love all of these products, they are the usual high quality and value found in 17 products (£3.49 for blusher, £5.49 for eye palette). The shades are perfect for spring make up looks.

L-R First Kiss, First Flush.
Not the best photo, but you can see that first flush is very pigmented, and gives a lovely rosy glow when applied lightly. First kiss is alot lighter, and so might need a heaver application on some skin tones.

I stupidly didn't note which colour is which in the palette, but there is a great range. The shadows are all very creamy, and have a great metallic shimmer. They didn't last amazingly well when I wore them, so I would recommend using a good primer.

L-R Sweet Kisses, Woo Me, Heart Beat.

Again, not the best photo, buy hey. Sweet kisses is more pink than the photo shows. I love pastel shades for my nails, and although I have quite a few bright ones for the summer, I love that these are more subdued. My nails are in a terrible state just now, and I feel that light nail polish doesn't draw as much attention to them! The nail polishes were £2.99 each.

Did you get anything from the vintage love collection?

Barbara Daly concealer and eye base

L-R eye base, concealer.

This was a sneaky wee purchase a made a while back in Tesco, while there was an offer on Barbara Daly make up. These are the first things I have tried from the range, and I am pretty impressed. Unfortunately I can't remember how much I paid for them, and as I don't have a big Tesco near me here, I can't check the price. I am pretty sure both items are under £4 full price, and I got them with 20% off. I must remember to keep receipts in the future.

On to the actual products I got, which were an eye base and concealer. I have to admit, I thought this product was a primer until 2 seconds ago when I checked the label. I read recently that eye bases and primers are not the same, so maybe I have been using this wrongly, or expecting more from it than I should. I think I read that you should put a primer on before an eye base, but I didn't when I used it, thinking it was a primer. The package states that it 'Evens out eyelids and increases the wear and blendability of eyeshadows. Great as an ultra-light concealer too' So from that description it does sound like a primer. Anyway, however its supposed to be used, I used it straight on my eyelid, and then applied my eyeshadow on top. I like the fact that it is in pan form, as the other primer I have is in a tube (e.l.f). I think with a pan its easier to just add the amount you want. It blends on to the eyelid easily, and has that strange, wet but also dry feel that most primers have. The first time I used it I was amazed, I used it with a 17 shadow, and it lasted all day with no creasing. I have since used it with a few different eye shadows with variable effectiveness. Overall though, I think it is better than the e.l.f primer, although it is a little more expensive. Recently Bicky sent me a sample size of Urban Decay's legendary primer potion, as an extra in a giveaway prize, so I now have another primer to test out. In terms of shade, you can see from the swatch below that it is fairly light, but I think it would blend in and suit most skin tones.

L-R eye base, concealer.

The other product I got was a concealer, in fair. For some reason I have been wanting a pan form of concealer for ages, as I only have stick or liquid ones. This style is very handy to apply with a brush, and again easy to control amounts. I have tried the concealer on blemishes, and under eye, and it does cover up well. It did end up looking a bit cakey by the end of the day, so perhaps I need to apply more powder on top. The light shade is very light, so it is good for pale scottish skin like mine. I might even need the next shade up if I get any sun over the summer. Although this was ok under the eye, I will probably stick to using actual under eye concealer for there, and keep this for blemishes and red spots.

Overall, I am impressed with these products, and am glad I gave the range a try. I had another look last time I was in the Tesco at my bf's, but nothing stood out to me. Maybe if there is another offer on I will try something else!

Have you tried anything from the Barbara Daly range?

Or any other supermarket gems you have found?

Also, can you clear up my eye base/ primer dilemma?