O.P.I MANICURE

As a beautician, I like to really know my stuff about all products/ranges.

Despite it hurting my bank balance, I like to try out as much as I can. Mainly to be able to offer the best, but also to be able to give my opinion on it.

Recently I brought the O.P.I Manicure Range and I am so impressed by it I just had to blog!

Due to constantly having my hands in water or acetone, my skin gets very dry. Especially round my cuticles which can become quite stiff and sore. 

This is the Lemon Tonic range and I bought mine from Sally's Hair & Beauty Ltd.

These smell unbelievable and really remind me of old fashioned sweeties. (I think its cola cubes..)

They don't smell particularly lemony but very sweet with a citrus undertone. 

They are infused with Yuzu (a Japanese citrus fruit), hints of Vanilla, Ginger and White tea essences and a unique blend of botanical fruits.

Lemon Tonic Mask - £8.99

Lemon Tonic Scrub - £8.99

Lemon Tonic Massage - £8.99

(I get these at discount price, I think they are normally about £12.99 each)

You can purchase here at Amazon

As well as the Lemon Tonic, I bought the Avoplex range to.

This range is more targeted to the nails and cuticles. These smell beautiful to, very different scent. 

They contain a blend of Shea, Cocoa, Avocado, Almond Butters & Deep penetrating protein peptides to 'Revitalise skin at cellular level for optimum results'

High Intensity Hand and Nail cream - £5.99

Exfoliating Cuticle Treatment - £6.39

Cuticle Oil To Go - £4.89

(Again, these are trade price and are more expensive normally)

You can purchase here at O.P.I

My hands were looking very sorry for themselves after i'd finished work yesterday so thought i'd treat myself to a manicure with all these treats and did a little before and after.

You can really see a massive difference! 

First, I massaged in my Exfoliating Cuticle Treatment and cut them back. 

Second I used the Lemon Tonic Scrub to remove dry/dead skin cells.

Next was the Lemon Tonic Mask which I left on for 5 minutes then gently removed with a wet towel.

Finally I massaged in my Lemon Tonic Massage with added Avoplex High Intensity and finished with Avoplex Cuticle Oil.

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COCOWHITE

So today i've caved and purchased the highly raved about, CocoWhite.

Their products originated from the well known practice 'Oil Pulling'.

I have researched the life out of this technique and actually it seems to be really popular, not to mention successful. 

Oil Pulling works by swishing the oil around your mouth for 5-10 minutes. 

CocoWhite have basically created the perfect dosage, packaged it nicely with yummy flavours to make it  (hopefully) a more bearable technique! Oil Pulling works to reduce the amount of harmful bacteria in your mouth. To put it simply, as you swish the oil around your mouth the bacteria 'gets stuck' in it and dissolves in the liquid oil. 

Oil Pulling has all sorts of health benefits linked to it such as ; Brighter, whiter teeth, Healthier gums, Prevents bad breath, Increased energy, Decreased headaches, Clearer sinuses, Alleviated allergies and even clearer skin. Personally all I'm after is whiter, cleaner teeth. Im skeptical about the rest of those apparent benefits but if it works then bonus!

So I've bought mine in the flavour 'Vanilla Swirl'.

They also offer 'Minty Fresh' & 'Light Lemon'. 

They cost 19.99 for 14 Sachets and you can purchase them here, at CocoWhite.UK.

I'm trying these as they are a slightly more luxurious way to perform Oil Pulling. You can also use good old fashioned Coconut Oil. It is the most popular because of its sweet flavour. 

I actually use coconut oil all the time as a replacement for cooking oils. There are so many health benefits linked with coconuts. I myself am a massive fan. Ive replaced nearly everything I can with the healthy coconut alternative! Hair oil, Cooking oil, Coconut Milk, Coconut Cream, etc. 

So if your looking for a cheaper alternative, you can buy jars of it from most supermarkets. My favourite being Lucy Bee, 9.95 for 500ml. You can purchase it here, at LucyBee.UK.

I will be posting my results once I receive my delivery and am looking forward to trying it out!

X

SMASH BOX COLOUR & CONTOUR PALETTE

So last weekend as you know we went to Liverpool for a little break.

Sunday the weather was pretty miserable but we wanted to make the most of it so we went to Cheshire Oaks Designer Outlet. For people outside of the UK, Its basically a retail park which has designer labels at discount prices. Its has shops such as Armani, Mulberry, French Connection, Jaeger, Juicy Couture, Michael Kors... You get the picture.

As we were walking round I had actually said how great it would be if there was a makeup shop somewhere among all the brands and just as we were walking to the car, there it was!

As you can imagine I was in my element. It had Mac, Bobbi Brown, Smashbox, Clinique, Estee Lauder and lots of perfumes. 

I didn't go mad as we had definitely spent enough and we were rushed for time. 

Anyway, on to the fun stuff. I bought my Mac Face And Body foundation in C3 and my Mac Mineralise Concealer in NC25. Not much to say about those, just repurchases! However I'm really excited by my new Smashbox Colour & Contour Palette!

It retails at £80.00 but I bought mine for £56.00 (I know, bargain!)

It comes like a book and you can remove each palette. They both have a hard plastic cover that clicks on top to so they are super handy for makeup artists as you can travel easily with them.

If your interested in buying this, you can get it here at SmashBox

So you get 32 eyeshadows, 3 Blushes, a Contour, Bronze and Highlight powder.

I am SO impressed with this palette. Has a nice mix of Matte and Metallic shades. 

Each shadow is incredibly pigmented, soft and finely milled. Even better with a primer. 

From left to right we have; Naked, Nectar, Flirt, Vanilla, Drizzle, Ambient, Pebble & Golden Orchid.

Topaz, Sienna, Cinder, Nude, Royal, Blackout, Smoke & Sumatra.

Oyster, Sky, Lavender, Snow, Zoom, Steel, Lilac & Rose Petal.

Ivy, Cerulean, Violet, Papaya, Serpent, Nocturnal, Blacktop & Peony.

Contour, Bronze, Highlight, Carnation, Flush & Rosy.

These face powders are exceptional. Lasted all day and I didn't get any fading for at least 8 hours.

I would definitely recommend this palette. I love it and for the quality and amount of product you get, It's well worth the money. 

X

LIVERPOOL BREAK

Road trip number 2,

Destination - Albert Dock, Liverpool!

Yet again, me and Nathan had a lovely weekend away full of good food, good cocktails and good shopping! We stayed in The Titanic Hotel which I can't rave about enough. Right on the docks, this hotel is breath taking. Each room is like a suite and everywhere is so spacious. We loved it and will definitely be visiting again!  

 (These photos are off their website, my photos were just not doing it justice and the hotel is every bit as beautiful as these professional pictures) 

We set of Saturday afternoon. Unfortunately we both had work till about 3 so didn't get the full day there. When we arrived we chilled for a while until the 'getting ready process' began. I had a nice bath and just took my time which was lovely as normal life is one big rush.

We had dinner reservations at 'The Smugglers Cove' on Albert Dock. Yet another amazing place! I think this place was designed to be like a pirate ship. 

I had a Halloumi and vegetable Kebab Skewer with Cous-Cous and one too many Pina Coladas!

In the morning we went down for breakfast and I'm so annoyed I didn't take any pictures because it was the nicest hotel breakfast we've had by far. We both had a full english and some pancakes. Obviously we weren't sticking to the diets that morning!
After breakfast, we went down for a swim in the Therma Spa which was really lovely. You get access to the pool, Sauna/Steam room, Foot spa and lounger.

Once again, we had a lovely weekend and can't wait for the next one! 

x

WOULD YOU RATHER / BEAUTY TAG

1.) Would you rather lose all of your mascaras, eyeliners, lipsticks, and lipglosses or lose all of your palettes and eyeshadows?

Definitely rather lose all of my palettes and shadows! 

2.) Would you rather chop off all your hair or never be able to cut it again?

Never be able to cut it again. I don't have much of a style anyway and I love to just tie it up so, more hair the better!

3.) Would you rather have a coral cheek or a pink cheek?

Coral cheek 100%. I veer towards corals with all my looks anyway.

4.) If you had $1000 to spend, would you rather buy clothes or makeup?

Can I not split it on both :-(! Id have to say makeup. I just love wandering round makeup stores and I know I will always find things I want. Sometimes I can go clothes shopping and not find one thing I like.

5.) Would you rather apply lipstick as eyeliner, or eyeliner as lipstick?

Eyeliner as lipstick probably... I use lipliners on their own sometimes so I assume it would just be the same thing!

6.) Would you rather only shop at MAC or Sephora?

Sephora all the way. I would never want to limit myself to just the one brand!

7.) Would you rather only use one eyeshadow color or one lip color for the rest of your life?

One eyeshadow colour. Im not very adventurous with my eye makeup, Id rather mix it up with a bold lip.

8.) Would you rather wear winter clothes in summer or summer clothes in winter?

Probably winter clothes in summer, I hate being to cold. At least I could remove some layers if I'm to hot!

9.) Would you rather have dark nails or bright nails all year round?

Dark nails! Im a massive lover of dark colours on my nails and I think they suit all the seasons.

10.) Would you rather give up your favorite lip product or your favorite eye product?

Eye product I think. I have an obsession with lip products and have a whole drawer of lip balms. I know, I have a weird attachment to them.

11.) Would you rather only be able to wear your hair in a ponytail or a messy bun?

 This questions quite funny to me because my everyday style is a messy bun so, It wouldn't affect my life to much! 

12.) Would your rather never be able to paint your nails again or never use lipgloss?

Never use lipgloss. You could always replace it with a good balm? I love painting my nails so I could never give that up!

13.) Would you rather shave your eyebrows and have none at all or sharpie them in everyday?

Ha well this is just awful. Im gonna have to say sharpie them in everyday. I reckon I could find a good enough shade and make it work for me!

14.) Would you rather live without makeup or nail polish?

Wow toughie. Im gonna go with nail polish as makeup makes me feel ready for the day. Nail polish doesn't do that for me, but id definitely miss it!

LONDON TRIP

So me and Nathan decided to have a mid-week break in London. It was quite spontaneous for us as Im normally a super organised freak! Saying this, we had such a lovely time and a much needed break from work. 

We got the train Thursday morning and stayed in the Park Plaza in Westminster. 

I seriously recommend this hotel, it was Uh-Ma-Zing. We were only having a one night stay  so we tried to squeeze as much in as possible! When we arrived we had reservations at Marcus Wareing's michelin star restaurant in Knightsbridge. As expected, It was out of this world and was really nice spending an afternoon experiencing how the other half live!

After dinner we spent our afternoon in the hotels spa area and had a swim. 

Whenever a hotel has a pool, you can guarantee we'll be there!

On the evening we had organised to meet our friends who live there for dinner. They took us to a lovely Italian restaurant on the Thames and then to the Rumpus Room Rooftop Bar in the Mondrian Hotel for cocktails. We had a really lovely time with an beautiful view.

We tried to get up the next morning to see the Solar Eclipse but London was really cloudy so no such luck. Friday we decided we would go shopping and see some sights so we set out and walked to The Breakfast Club in Soho. Delicious! 

Afterwards we went into Knightsbridge to do some shopping and mainly, to visit the famous Harrods. 

We actually didn't buy one thing from Harrods but had a nice time walking round the store. In the cosmetics section, I got really excited and wandered over to Estee Lauder to grab an EE cream which I've been wanting for a while. I was seen by an extremely rude sales assistant so I actually went to Harvey Nicks to buy it instead.

Luckily, there I was served by a really friendly lady who also gave me a free mascara so It was a good decision all round! 

I won't do a detailed review but I have to say the Enlighten EE cream is absolutely beautiful. Really light and dewy with just the right amount of coverage. 

I got mine In Medium. As far as Im aware it only comes in 3 colours. It costs £34.00 and you can purchase it here at FeelUnique.com.

Our train home was at 8pm so we decided to just eat at London Euston station. Our choice was Ed's Diner and it was a good one! 

So after a lovely break, we had a chilled train ride home.

Great chance to relax and read my book!

X

CHANEL Vs NO7

Well everyone... Ive been shopping. 

Now I know everyone always says they love shopping but when I say it... I really mean it.

I could spend hours upon hours wandering round Selfridges or Boots just 

playing with makeup... and I will never get bored! Its got so bad, my poor boyfriend knows the name, shade and price of my favourite Mac Concealer. 

Recently I bought myself No7's Superlight Foundation and Ive been 

absolutely raving about it. Now as I'm sure most makeup junkies know, you just can't buy new makeup before checking out online reviews. So whilst doing my research I heard it was also a great dupe for Chanel's Vitalumière Aqua foundation. 

After I loved it so much, I foolishly assumed the Chanel foundation would be even better (Considering it was double the price!) so I went out this weekend and brought it.

Chanel VitaLumière Aqua Foundation / £33.00

No7 Stay Perfect Superlight Foundation / £14.00

 both brought from Boots.UK

So firstly I really like both their packaging. Compact and classy, nothing fancy or unnecessary. They are both 30ml & Both have an SPF 15.

Chanel VitaLumière - 'Ultra light skin perfecting makeup. Luminous and naturally radiant'

No7 Superlight - 'Life-Proof foundation for a super-natural, flawless completion with a barely there feel.'

Left - Chanel VitaLumière , Shade 40 Beige

Right - No7 Superlight, Shade Warm Beige

 The Verdict? Save your money! It pains me that I already had an amazing foundation and I went out and spent £33.00 on one that is actually (in my opinion) not that great!

No7 Superlight is totally true to its word. Really dewy and lightweight, It feels like I'm not even wearing anything on my skin. Im Normal/Combination and it suits my dry skin on my cheeks and oily T-zone. I actually can't fault it, I really love this foundation.

However, Chanel's Vitalumière I find to be actually a bit heavy for my skin. 

I tried this out for a week and every time I used it It just disappointed me. 
I kept expecting it to turn me into a Dewy Goddess but alas, It did not. 

I also found It to react with oils throughout the day and turned me a bit orangey, which I have found with other foundations in the past.

Im sure on a night out with a good powder will love this foundation but for my everyday, i'll be sticking with my No7! 

X