Review (actually, it's a rave) Jessica's Phenomen Oil

I can't believe I've not written a post solely about this product yet, I know I've mentioned it before but it really does deserve its very own slice of the interweb! I give you Phenomen Oil by Jessica.  For those of you who don't know, Jessica is a professional nail brand and they offer some really amazing products (GELerartion is my latest love from them) and this 'intensive moisturizer' is no exception.  

Ingredients such as  Vitamin E, Jojoba, Sweet Almond Oil and Rice Oil really help to make this a wonder product.  It can be used on any areas that are crying out for some extra moisturisation (elbows and tough dry bits on the feet stand out to me as the areas that most need some TLC) but its original function is to act as a life saver for your cuticles and nails.  I don't know how it does it, but this oil really does seem to penetrate right down into the cuticles and dramatically improve their appearance.  Jessica also say that Phenomen Oil will help to strengthen your nails and keep them supple and healthy.  

While I wouldn't feel comfortable vouching for its effectiveness in terms of my nail strength, I am more than happy to sing the praises of this product with regard to the state of my cuticles.  I've tested it out,  and having used this every night for two months I decided to give it a break for a few weeks....man are my cuticles begging me to bring this puppy back into my nightly routine; they're dry, tight, hard and generally horrible and I do believe that this is all down to the fact that I've not been using Phenomen Oil.  I know that the cold weather wont be helping but it's not as if I've been standing outside in a blizzard.  I can now promise my poor little cuticles that this is now firmly back on the menu, and I shall once again resume my nightly application.

As for how to apply it; it's simples! It comes with a pipet (man I love them it makes me feel like a scientist) and all you need to do is place one drop onto each nail (I tend to do this at the base of the nail to coat both the cuticle and nail) and then give that area a good old massage and voila! The massage is important because it increases the circulation to the nail and promotes growth.  If you have any excess oil on the tip of the finger just treat yourself to a bit of a hand massage! By the morning the oil will have completely sunk in and 

you should wake up with soft mitts ready to start a new day!

Phenomen Oil ranges from around £9 to £14 depending on the size bottle you get, but I believe it is totally worth it and I will be repurchasing mine before it even has a chance to run out! 

Are there any products that you swear by? 

♥

Lemon Sugar and Kiss Me On My Tulips

The sun is out, and so the sun shall shine on my nails! On my fingers I've gone for Lemon Sugar by Avon.  It's part of the nailwear pro+ line, and it applies like a dream, it took three coats to achieve a streak free opacity (damn you pale yellows!) but I really love the finish!  It's a beautiful bright milky yellow and I don't own anything else like it.  I've never really thought that a yellow polish would suit me, and I still believe I wouldn't be able to pull off a bright sunflower yellow, but I think Lemon Sugar suits my skin tone and sits nicely on my nails (feel free to let me know if I'm way off!).  My one big gripe with this polish is believe it or not, the lid/brush; it's a square lid and the brush on mine was set off centre if you can picture it, so you have to hold it on the corners rather than on the flat to get the right angel of the brush on your nails, and although it doesn't make application impossible it does just make it a bit more of a challenge! 

I wore this to the pub last night, and as I was sat staring at a fantastic sunset sipping my coke I couldn't help but catch a glimpse of my nails and grinning at their lemon meringue-y goodness! 

To compliment this, on my toes I've gone for OPI Kiss Me On My Tulips which is a lovely bright fuschia - a bright bubblegum which looks so lovely with the slight tan on my feet! 

I'm hoping that these bright colours will encourage the sun to burn off these intermittent clouds and bring that heat wave back! 

What are your favourite summer nail colours? 

x

NOTD: Essie Lilacism

Bourjois Magic Nail Polish Remover

I held off buying this for quite a while because, well to be quite honest, I didn't need it.  And do you know what, I still don't, but that didn't stop me from getting it, and it sure as hell doesn't stop me from loving it! 

This has got to be the first nail varnish remover that doesn't smell rank or leave your fingers feeling either really greasy or stripped of all moisture.  It is acetone free which is a real bonus, because except for professional salon non-acetone removers I am yet to find a high street make that does the job in under ten minutes a nail (I wish I was joking).  Now, on to the speed of polish removal, I'm going to go there and say that the 1 second claim is a little far fetched but hey I guess if you only had one coat on it might whip it off that quickly. Anyway, it doesn't matter that it isn't one second because it's probably only around five to six and then your nails are squeaky clean.  I also found that it doesn't leave any discolouration around your nail when you take off dark colours which I've found a right pain in the bum with conventional polish removing techniques. It is also just so easy! I popped this small pot in my wash bag when I went away this week and knew I'd be sorted - no running out of cotton wool or worrying about the top coming loose and leaking rank smelling acetone over all your stuff. At £4.99 from Boots, I think this is a little gem and I can definitely see myself repurchasing it.  

Now, if only they'd come up with one for your toes....

x

OPI: Care to Danse?

This is just a quick post about OPI's Care to Danse? 

Care to Danse? is part of the New York Ballet collection from OPI.  As the name suggests, all the shades in this range are pastel and neutral but I've found that in this case, it doesn't make them any less striking.  I just kept looking at my nails, they looked sophisticated, elegant and pretty all at once.  Another amazing thing about this polish is the texture, it is like a gel and on your nails it really does feel like a gel to touch, so smooth...cue crazy amounts of finger stroking (well that sounds plain filthy doesn't it?)

I applied three coats and love the finish.

Have any of you tried and polishes from this collection? What do you prefer, neutrals or bright for your nails?

x

Empties

It is time to declutter and finally do an 'empties' post! These things have been hanging around for a week or so, and I keep trying to tidy up and being really frustrated that I can't put them all in the recycling because I haven't taken photos! But here are the photos so farewell products, thanks for being so good to me!

So, lets get to it...

Face related empties

L'Oreal Paris Triple Active Ideal Balance Cleansing Wipes - I do love a good face wipe, and these, my friends are rather lovely.  I purchased them in a 2 for 1 sale so it made them nice and cheap as well.  They aren't too exciting (I've never experienced an exciting face wipe, have you?) but they do the job or removing make up rather well! My housemate used them once and I quote "Oh, these are lovely, they just smell so posh" - and who wouldn't want a posh smelling face wipe I ask you?! 

These are available at Boots and Superdrug but I can't find them online, and also in large supermarkets.

Hair related empties

TIGI Bed Head Epic Volume Shampoo and Conditioner - I love these. They smell amazing, so regardless of their value I would always love them for that, it's the most girly strawberry delicious scent! (which unfortunately I've only smelt a couple of times because I have zero sense of smell 99.9% of the time! I don't know how well they boost the volume of my hair, because to be honest my hair tries its hardest to be flat as a pancake at all times, but it certainly doesn't weigh it down so I'm not complaining. I would definitely repurchase these! 

Get it at FeelUnique or CheapSmells

Toni & Guy Boost-it Mousse - They have actually discontined this product, and I am utterly gutted.  I love this stuff, it is so easy to use (just spray it directly onto the roots in sections around your head, then blow dry with your head upside down for max volume) and it really does deliver the 'volume boost with natural hold' that it claims - so it does just what it say on the tin! I got the Volume Plumping Mousse when I went to replace my Boost-it Mousse but after reading some awful reviews I'm scared to try it!  Why do companies do this - if it ain't broke, don't fix it!  

Now, onto Shower empties

Gillette Satin Care Shave Gel for Sensitive Skin - There isn't really much to say about this, other than that it does the job! A lot of my friends don't use a shaving gel, making do with shower gel, but I wouldn't be without it. 

At £3.25 from Boots I don't think you can go far wrong.  They often have it on sale too!

Treacle Moon The Raspberry Kiss - This deliciously scented exfoliator is lovely, and a little goes a long way so it has lasted me a long time.  I really like that the exfoliating particles are really small, so when you massage it in you can really feel it doing the work.  I love the cute little love story thing on the front as well, and I like to read it in the shower as it's at eye level! It's also cheap which is a bonus! 

I do believe I got this from Tesco! 

Original Source Vanilla Milk and Raspberry - I love the concept of Original Source products, and I'm always intrigued by how many fruits, or sunrises in this case, it takes to make one bottle. For me this is a little bit too sweet, I think it's the vanilla milk that's a little too sickly.  I like it none the less, and just as well because I got one in my stocking at Christmas (and the hand soap) so I've got plenty more to get through! 

I can't see this on either the Boots website or Superdrug, but have a look in store or in supermarkets if you fancy it! 

Nail empties

Cutex Nourishing Nail Polish Remover for weak nails - Well my nails are most certainly weak, and to be perfectly honest they have remained weak throughout the time I've been using this.  I'm not blaming this product, and they might be a lot worse if it hadn't been for this, who knows - all I'm saying is don't expect a miracle cure if you have weak nails (not that I think many people would turn to a nail varnish remover to sort that out anyway!)

£1.60 from Boots or £1.59 from Superdrug - i've got to admit I tend to opt for Boots because despite the extra penny I'll do anything for my Boots points! 

I hope you're all well, and if anyone has a recommendation to replace my Toni & Guy Boost-it Mousse I would greatly appreciate it! 

x

Essie Mint Candy Apple

Essie Super Bossa Nova vs. Rimmel Shocker

I'm quite fussy about the colours I like on my toes, I like brights and mostly pinks or coral, having said that, I very rarely deviate from my favourite ever toe nail colour which is Rimmel 270 Shocker, I have been painting my nails with this vibrant blue toned shimmery pink for about 6 years, and I never ever intend on giving it up.  I have repurchased this colour numerous times, but occassionally I've found that it just hasn't been stocked - not that it has sold out, but there just wasn't a space for it.  This gave me palpitations, because a life without Shocker would be a sad life indeed.  I hope the day will never come that Rimmel takes my beloved colour off the shelves, but if it does happen I feel I need to be prepared so my search for a dupe began.  So when I was going a little bit wild for Essie colours I spotted this, Super Bossa Nova, and I couldn't believe my luck - it looks exactly like Shocker! Without so much as a backwards glance I made my purchase and couldn't wait to try it out.

My first try of O.P.I

So as you may know if you read (this post), I recently made my first OPI Nail Polish purchases! I have always been put off by the extremely high price, and the fact that I haven't found many places that stock it, so I have been left to lust over it via the internet (wow that sounds so wrong!).  This all changed when I went to Sally's which is a trade only beauty supplier...you have to take proof of your college course and ID and all sorts, it feels a bit like getting into MI5 rather than a shop!

These pretty awful pictures are of I Eat Mainely Lobster which a a gorgeous bright orangey coral with a gold shimmer.  I've got to admit that the shimmer is more visible in the bottle than it is on the actual nails but hey ho, you can't have it all! I always think a good way to test a nail varnish (or any beauty product for that matter) is to see if anyone comments on it, so I was thrilled when the lady at Boots told me she loved my nail varnish - it was an automatic winner in my eyes!

I have to admit that it did take three coats to reach a full opacity and even then I'm not sure if that there were no 'dark patches' (do you know what I mean, when it looks a little thinner in places), but overall I loved the finish, and I felt like I was walking around with a little bit of summer attached to my nails.

I love the packaging of O.P.I nail varnishes, they just look so luxurious because I associate them with beauty salons, so it feels like a real treat to have some of these bottles nestled among my collection of pretty regular varnishes.

What do you think of O.P.I? Are there any colours that I really ought to get my hands on?

x

Essie: Cute As A Button

I am utterly obsessed with corals and pinky peachy tones at the minute; I think they just capture summer on your nails! This has lead me to own quite an excessive number of aforementioned polishes so I'm slowly trying to work my way through them and do a bit of a comparison. 

This is my first try of Essie nail varnish, and I was so excited to try it after reading so much on beauty blogs and hearing my idols such as Tanya Burr and Louise from Sprinkle of Glitter rave about them! Tanya inspired me to go for Cute As A Button as it just looks so gorgeous on her! 

As you can see from the pictures I went a little bit overboard on the coral yesterday, but Cute As A Button matched my skirt PERFECTLY so it had to be done! 

I used Sally Hansen Double Duty as my base coat and top coat (available at boots) because  I think a base coat is essential when you paint your nails regularly and with bright or dark colours...nobody wants to look like they've been smoking 40 a day! I applied two coats to my toe nails and didn't bother with a top coat (I rarely do on my toes) and the result is a gorgeous milky peach tone which I adore.  The addition of a third coat and a top coat added extra vibrancy and depth and the result is lovely.  I did wake up with sheet marks on my nails this morning though which is very irritating as I painted my nails hours before bed, but maybe I rushed into putting the top coat on?! 

I think the photos make it seem more orangey/red than it does in real life, but the photos were taken on my iPhone I'm afraid so not a lot I can do.

The consistency of this nail varnish is lovely, and I am really looking forward to trying out some other shades from Essie. 

Essie is now available from Boots and Superdrug and I would highly recommend Essie as a brand if the other shades are as luxurious as Cute As A Button.

I think that this polish is pretty comparable to Pink Flamingo (blog post about it here) from Barry M, and at £2.99 a pop it is a cheaper alternative (Essie is retailing at £7.99). 

Have you tried out any Essie polishes? Which is your favourite shade? And what is your all time favourite coral?

I hope you're all having a great day

xxx

the maxi skirt is from Fat Face, and I love it! 

Make Do and Mend - Revamped Nail of the Day!

My Nails Inc. New York hot pink manicure (blog post on it here) was looking a bit tired the other day, but I really couldn't be bothered to take it all off, then repaint them so I decided to just do a bit of a make do and mend jobby instead! I simply slapped another coat of New York over the top to cover any chips (my nails are seriously weak so my nail varnish chips after a day or two regardless of the quality!) and I then got a pin and my trusty Revlon White on White and simply blobbed four or five white dots diagonally over my nail...simples!! When I do things with my right hand (my wrong hand if you get me) I'm a bit like an infant troll might be with regard to my command over objects - such as pins with white paint -  but I was surprisingly impressed with my attempt! I then popped a slick of top coat to seal the deal and hey presto they looked good as new (but better!) and provided me with a couple of days of fun nail art!!   Simple but very effective! I think I might start doing this more often as it is so much easier than starting all over again, and I am so up for the simple life! 

What do you do to get the most out of your manicure? Or are you just not as lazy as me?

xxx

NOTD: New York

This is a beautiful vibrant and opaque fuchsia/hot pink nail varnish by Nails Inc. it is the shade 150 New York and I adore it. It isn't shimmery but the high shine makes it look bright and really 'polished'.  I got this nail varnish two years ago during the time Nails Inc and Diet Coke hooked up, and despite being well loved in that time the consistency has not changed and it is still a joy to use. I find it wears well and looks so smooth and luscious on my nails, it also dries pretty quickly which I think is really important in a nail varnish because who has time to sit around for hours?! 

I get a lot of compliments on this colour, which nail varnish gets you the most attention? 

xxx

NOTD: Blue Moon & Shocker

I utterly adore this shade of blue, Barry M 317 Blue Moon, it is the perfect washed out sky blue if that makes any sense.  I think it's a really fresh colour and it's given my nails a bit of a pep even in this slightly gloomy weather. My one gripe about this shade it how long it takes to get a decent coverage. I did five, yes thats right five, coats of this and to be honest I'm still not entirely satisfied with the finish but I thought six was just absurd and I refused to do it!! The application is very watery, and although it does glide on nicely it's like you're applying a wash to your nails rather than a colour. And to be honest I don't think I'll often have the time to apply this nail varnish on a regular basis (which is probably why I hardly ever wear it!)

This picture makes it look as though it has a bit of an iridescent shimmer but this doesn't transfer to the nails so maybe that's just the result of the glass bottle.

For my base coat and my top coat I used Sally Hansen Double Duty which claims to be a strengthening Base and Top coat, I don't know if it really does strengthen but it has such a lovely brush that I don't care. 

On my toes I have used Rimmel in the colour 270 Shocker and I am going to make a bold claim and declare this as my favourite nail varnish.  I say this because I think it is the shade I have used and repurchased the most out of my entire nail varnish collection.  I usually only wear this on my toes and it just looks so gorgeous, it's such a bright shimmery fuchsia that it just makes it permanently look like summer for your toes which I love even in the depths of winter!! I went through a stage of panic buying a few bottles at a time because sometimes it wasn't in stock but I hope to god that they never discontinue this colour otherwise I might cry. It goes on so well and in two coats looks bold and even and glossy and it lasts for weeks on my toes. Can you tell I'm a bit obsessed?! 

What is your favourite ever nail varnish? 

x

NOTD: Indigo

After a weekend of moving my friends into their new flat and being a DIY goddess my nails are looking utterly horrific.  Only my little finger nails have survived to tell the tale, the rest gave up and jumped ship at the mere sight of flat packed Ikea furniture!  I decided that the best thing to do with them was hide them.  I really should give them some real tender loving care and apply base coats daily etc to give them a fighting chance, but I just don't want to have to look at them so they are well and truly hidden now! 

I don't often go for this colour Barry M shade 312 Indigo, but I'm really glad I have, I love it and I think it actually looks good on my very short nails.  It seems to have smartened them up and makes me look, dare I say it, sophisticated and perhaps professional?! 


I have included so many photos (too many most probably but oh well you can pretend you haven't seen them) because I really do think that this nail varnish is magic.  It looks so different depending on the light, sometimes it looks midnight blue, verging on a blackblue and other times it looks a very royal blue with a hint of purple.  


The application of this colour is lovely, it glides on and in two coats it looks rich and shiny and just generally lovely. And at £2.99 from Boots or Superdrug there really isn't any reason not to go for it, once again I think Barry M has produced a nail varnish that looks far more expensive than you'd expect for such a bargain!


I'm off to the cinema tonight to see 21 Jump Street, I really hope it's as good as it looks in the trailer as I'm in the mood for a good old laugh! Have any of you seen it and thought it was worth a watch?


xxx

NOTD: Tropical Temptation

                               Left - Without Flash. Right - With Flash                                     

Another perfect spring/summer colour that I'm embracing despite the torrential rain! This vibrant reddish-pink coral is a gorgeous bright, that really does look lovely with a tan (I'm delving into my memory here!).

With Flash on. Sally Hansen Mega Shine Top Coat.

It takes a bit of work to get a bold, streak free finish - after the first two coats it really does look like it's never going to come good, but persevere with a third and a top coat and it will!  


I'm sorry because I don't think that any of these photos do the colour justice, I think it's got a more creamy peach finish to it that is visible here (the first photo is closest to it I'd say).

What colours do you reach for when you need a bit of a pick me up? 

xxx

NOTD: Berry Ice Cream

I adore this Barry M shade (308 Berry I/C).  I think it's a fantastic colour for spring and summer, and it really cheers me up when I look at my nails and I see this shining back at me.  Usually I find this polish glides on like a dream but today it wasn't going my way (I don't know if it was me or the nail varnish...probably me, lets face it) so to get a nice even coverage it took three coats but the finished product is worth the wait in my opinion.  I finished it off with a thick layer of Sally Hansen Mega Shine and now I have super shiny bright mauve/lilac nails - just what I need to make it feel like spring even though the weather has taken a turn for the worse!! 

NOTD: I Pink I Can

Sally Hansen - Complete Salon Manicure - Shade 510 - I Pink I Can

Top left - With Flash. Top right and bottom - Without flash.

This finished product of this nail varnish looks lovely but I think you have to put a bit of effort in to get it looking like that.  The first coat goes really streaky, and then to be quite honest so does the second (there are definite dark bluish tones in steaks after two coats). So I think a third coat is a bit of a must, and after that it looks lovely with Sally Hansen Mega Shine top coat.  So it's a bit of a long process to get the finished look but I was happy to watch beauty videos on YouTube (as I do for far too long each day) so I wasn't in a hurry.


This colour is very much a Barbie pink, and a little bit too 'little girl pink' for my usual tastes but something came over me in boots and I was drawn to it! And despite me saying it's a little bit too plastic pink for my me my only other nail post has been a bit of a bright girly pink (although I think Pink Flamingo which you can see here is more of a peachy/corally pink) so maybe I'm more into them than I let myself think!


On my toes I've gone for Rimmel Pro Finish 295 Fancy Fucshia.  It really is just a gorgeous deep but vibrant fucshia.  The 'maxi brush' claims to give 'mistake free application', which it probably does on your finger nails (I can't remember) but on your tiny toe nails it just makes it a bit of an ordeal to try and get a good covering without painting half your toe as well!).  I love having bright colours on my toes, in fact I usually only go between two or three nail varnishes for them because I'm just a bit set in my ways.





























I'm not sure that either colour comes out very well in the photos. I'd say that I Pink I Can is actually less of a baby pink and more of a bright, and less of a coral/peach than the pictures show, and I'd say that Fancy Fuchsia is actually deeper than either photo portray.  I realise this isn't very helpful, but I'm afraid there aint a lot I can do about it! 

Pink Flamingo

I am officially addicted to nail varnish. I will willingly admit that I have far too many shades of pink that are not different enough to warrant having so many of them, know this as I might it doesn't seem to stop me from wanting (and buying) more more more!!  I literally think I have a problem, sometimes I wont even look as I pick them up and throw them in my basket like a crazed nail polish junkie! 


Funnily enough though, since I started doing manicures in my course and therefore have to practice, I don't really like painting my nails any more.  I used to paint my nails all the time and now I really have to force myself! It's a bit like when I did English A Level I guess and I suddenly seemed to lose the ability to read even though the books were novels I would have ordinarily wanted to read!


I love this Barry M shade, 305 Pink Flamingo, it's just really fun, bright and girly.  I love it in summer and I think it really enhances your tan and even though I only have a tiny bit of colour at the moment (it's only April I guess!) it made my tan seem nicer somehow! 

Listening to - Under The Driftwood Tree, If Only If 

Reading - The Girl on the Cliff by Lucinda Riley