Nail Varnish Challenge #6

The next nail varnish from my box is Avon Rose Quartz (not CF).  The colour is pale, almost peachy pink with a shimmer through it.  I used 2 coats but you can still see the nail line which isn't the best.  I'm not a huge fan of this so this one is going in the selling pile!

I was thinking I might do a blog sale at the end of this series and sell any of my unwanted colours for cheap prices, would you be interested in that?  I've still got some unsold items from my last blog sale which I can include too.

Also, I should be able to get a new memory card for my camera this month, yay!!

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Self Control App

It's that time of year again when exams are just around the corner.  The last time I checked I had 8 weeks til my exam, but suddenly it's just over 5 - PANIC!!!  As you might know by now, I am resitting 2 classes from uni last year, which means I'm not allowed to go back to the classes so I just have to learn it all myself.  I had one exam in January which I passed (yay!) and my next one is on 7th of May, but I haven't exactly done much studying for it yet...

Someone on twitter mentioned the SelfControl app and gave a link to it so I had a wee look.  Basically it just stops you being able to get on certain website so helps avoid procrastination - it's actually such a good idea!  You download it from the website and then set your 'blacklist' which is websites that you don't want to be able to access.  I have Twitter, Facebook, Blogger, Tumblr and Lovefilm on mine.  Then you set the timer for how long you want these websites blocked for, click start, a little timer then pops up and counts down until the time is up.

It's so handy!  I've been using it while reading pdf notes as it was so easy to be distracted by twitter especially.  I set it for 30mins at a time as I think any longer and I would lose concentration - I quite often have a look online for a few minutes then start it again.

The only downside is that it is only available for Macs but if you go into FAQs they give other similar programs which work for Windows.

Click here for the website.

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Nail Varnish Challenge #5

The next nail varnish in my challenge is Nails Inc The Southbank which I got in a set of 4 from QVC years ago, I think the others are in the box too actually!  It is a nice light grey creme, opaque in two coats.  I do like it but I think it's pretty boring and I feel like I want to do something to it to add some excitement!  For example, I think it would be an excellent base for stamping.

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Love The Planet Washable Cleansing Pads

So have a think about it, how many cotton balls/pads do you go through in a week?  Since becoming more disciplined with my skincare routine I've been going through a lot more than I was in the past.  I prefer to use cotton balls and I use one to take off my eye make up (maybe two if I have a lot on) and another one for my toner.  If I'm cleansing the 'lazy way' with my No7 Cleansing Lotion I will use two cotton pads to remove that.  Then I also use them to take off nail varnish which will be another 2, once or twice a week.  So for me this adds up to roughly 20 balls/pads per week, over 80 per month.  Although you can usually get 100 for £1 it's not exactly breaking the bank but if you think of it in terms of waste instead.  Cotton wool isn't recycled, it just goes straight in the bin and gets dumped somewhere. 

It might be just be because I'm a massive loser but I love recycling, it's so satisfying when you see how empty your green bin (normal household waste) is, and knowing you're helping the environment.  So the fact I can help cut this down even more by using a lot less cotton balls/pads is great!

I had heard about these reusable pads maybe about a year ago, but I wasn't entirely convinced as they were about £7 and you only got 5 in the pack - so if I didn't like them it would be kind of expensive.  However I saw a review somewhere recently of them and they sounded pretty good so I decided to just to go for it and get a set.

I bought mine from Lucy Rose for £5.49 (normally £6.49 but currently on sale!) with £1.95 delivery.  They arrived quite quickly and I was excited to start using them.

As I mentioned above, you get 5 in the pack and they are quite big, bigger than necessary perhaps.  I use one side to remove eye make up, then once I've cleansed my skin, I turn it over and use the other side for toner.  I think that they work brilliantly and I've found that I don't need to use as much product because it doesn't absorb the same way that cotton balls do.

I wanted to wash them first before doing a review to see how they turned out.  I put them in with a colour wash (it says wash with similar colours, oops!) yesterday on a 40ºC synthetics wash and they came out good as new!  They have a wee wash bag to put them in then I took them out and put them on the radiator, a few minutes each side and they dried nicely.

I am so pleased with these and wish I'd bought them sooner!  Obviously I'm not completely cutting out actual cotton balls from my life I still need them for taking nail varnish off - not sure these would cope well with that haha - and other little odds and ends, but it's certainly cut it down a great deal.

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St Patrick's Day Nails & Eyes!

(Also sneakily including Nail Varnish Challenge #4!)

I went for a green colour out of my box of unused polishes to celebrate St Patrick's Day.  By 'celebrate' I mean sit in my house and eat Indian food.  Obviously.  

I've never actually gone out for St Patrick's Day to be honest even though I am Scottish and we Celts should stick together but never mind.  I tend to avoid bars/clubs on big events like this, Hogmanay, even Hallowe'en I'll be avoiding next year, it was just far too busy for me!  

Moving swiftly on from my thrilling social life to nail varnish...  This one is Peace on Earth by China Glaze which is a metallic sort of olive green.  I've used two coats but it was almost opaque in one which is great!  This one is a keeper!

Onto the eyes:  This is totally recycled, I'm sorry!  I did this make up on Christmas but it's green so I'm definitely allowed to recycle ;)  To read what I used etc click here for the post. 

Hope you all have a lovely week!  I am back to college and we're starting our final block - I can't believe how quickly it's passed!  It means my graded unit is coming up though which is terrifying but hopefully it should be okay...

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Liz Earle Brow Pencil in Dark

Since using up my Une brow pencil I was determined to find one I would be happier with, I just found it too soft and I would need to sharpen it really often.  The soft nib makes it a lot harder to create a defined shape and makes it more smudgy!

I decided to go for the Liz Earle brow pencil in Dark as I really wanted to try out something from their make up range.  I looked up some reviews and they seemed pretty positive so I went for it.  Liz Earle were doing free delivery when you buy any item of make up at that time which was really lucky - I probably would have just waited until I was in a John Lewis otherwise, I'm so cheap!

The pencil cost £11 and it also comes in Light.  I went for Dark which matched my hair nicely, but I think they would do well to expand their colour range, to include red tones for example.

I have used it for just over a week now and I really like it.  It is quite hard, but not too hard - it allows you to create sharp lines easily, but also to fill in bigger areas quickly.

Eyebrows before - only wearing Soap & Glory Glow Job

Eyebrows after - make up completed

As you can see in the second picture I fill them in quite a lot!  I love filling in my brows and it really annoys me when people don't haha, it honestly makes such a difference!  This pencil allows me to do this quickly and accurately as I am always in a rush in the morning.

I would definitely repurchase this, and I recommend it to anyone looking to try out a new one.  The only thing I would say is that if you're not sure about the colour then go to a counter and try it out as it is quite expensive if you're not sure it'll suit.

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Hair Removal

The topic of hair removal is always a bit of a touchy subject, especially when going into all the gory details!   However, I thought it would be interesting for me to share with you my thoughts on various hair removal methods, and which I find the most effective.

Although I must be honest and say that I am extremely lazy when it comes to removing hair, and the only area I am quite attentive to is my underarms - the rest I would happily leave for weeks (*cough* months...)!  Luckily I am naturally blonde (well that's how I was born, sadly the hair on my head has since gone darker!) so my leg hair is quite fine and barely visible from a distance, which is pretty good!

Shaving

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This is probably the most traditional method where most girls start off their hair removing journey!  It can be done with a disposable razor which is done wet or an electric one which can be done wet or dry depending on your shaver.  When I first started out, my parents got me an electric razor from Argos for my birthday or Christmas which I still have and use to this day!  Electric razors are the best way to start off I think, they are pretty effective for underarms and legs, and they are harder to cut yourself with than bladed razors.  I do think that you get closer shave with a blade, but the cuts are pretty horrendous if you're new to it or not careful!  I don't find it lasts very long and you need to be willing to do it regularly to keep up the results.

Personally now I only use my electric razor in emergency situations, like if the hair is too long to epilate (more on this later, and yes gross haha) or if I need a quick painless method, especially for underarms.  I would also never use it on my bikini area -  I tried it once and it was awful!

Hair Removal Cream

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Hair removal creams are pretty simple to use but they often stink, and if you have course, dark hair then sometimes they aren't strong enough to dissolve it.  For the most part I would use hair removal cream down there and occasionally on my legs.  It's definitely the least painful method, unless you leave it on too long or are allergic!  I haven't used hair removal cream in ages as I found it hard to find a cruelty free one, and they are probably not the best thing to use on your skin anyway with the number of chemicals they contain! 

Epilating

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If you don't know what an epilator is then it is basically a contraption which looks similar to an electric razor but instead of blades it contains loads of tiny tweezers (this is starting to sound like something out of Saw) and when you turn it on they start to pluck and rotate very quickly.  Yes, this sounds horrendous but I promise you it's not as bad as it sounds!  It goes so fast that you only feel little pinches, it is similar to waxing/sugaring but as it's slower it is more painful.  

I love using mine on my underarms, it lasts for about week.  It is a bit sore when you first run it over the skin but after that initial 'ouch' it is totally bearable and worth the results.  I recommend taking a deep breathe, apply quite a good amount of pressure and don't go too fast (or too slow!).  For the legs I do a quick once over as that is the most painful part, and then you can concentrate on getting as many hairs away as possible.  Unfortunately I haven't found epilating has made my legs particularly smooth as there are often quite a few hairs missed out.  It also isn't as effective if the hair is too long, as I mentioned above, as the tweezers won't be able to grip it properly so you may need to shave, leave it a few days and then epilate.

Waxing

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Waxing is usually carried out at beautician's as it is a bit more tricky to conquer yourself, especially the bikini area!  Waxing is great method for removing hair anywhere, the only downsides being the cost and possibly the pain.  I have had my legs waxed, which I found virtually painless except for a sort of tickly, stingy sensation around the ankles and backs of knees.  Also I've had my bikini area waxed which is definitely painful!  Not unbearable though and if it's only every month or so then it's not too bad.  I've heard that taking a couple of ibuprofen an hour can help with the pain if you are particularly sensitive!  

Sugaring

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Sugaring is almost identical to waxing except for the formula of the product.  Instead of wax, it is made up of sugar, water and usually some other soothing ingredients such as lemon, tea tree and camomile.  Sugar is better than wax in that it is totally soluble so no sticky missed bits, and it grabs onto only the hair rather than the skin so it is much more gentle and less painful.  The only method I've used of sugaring is Moom Organic which I used on my stomach - literally felt no pain; bikini line - a bit painful but less than waxing, I found that I couldn't get the area right underneath (sorry :D) I'm not sure if the hair needed to be shorter to give a better grip so I'll keep trying...; and legs - it did work but I used up all the pieces of cloth after only doing half of one leg!!!

Moom is kind of pricey, the kit pictured contains a 6oz jar, 18 cotton strips, 4 applicator sticks and instructions and it costs £14.99.  The strips are reusable so you only need to buy this kit once and then you just buy refills of the jars which are £9.99 for 6oz or £14.99 for 12oz.  I have nearly finished my first pot and I am planning on repurchasing as I like it for my stomach and bikini area.

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What is your most used/favourite hair removal method?

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Nail Varnish Challenge #3

Here is the third nail varnish I've taken out of my box of abandoned nail varnishes!  This is a Nubar one I bought a couple of years ago, it's actually really pretty.  It is called Gold Leaf and is a bronze colour with flashes of gold and also sometimes even purple through it.

I think I've just avoided it because sometimes I feel like metallic nail colours are quite old fashioned - even though they're actually not, especially duochromes!  I only have 2 or 3 Nubar polishes but I'd love to add some more to my collection they have some really beautiful colours, I wish they were more accessible in UK.

Still using the iPhone, bad times!!  Do you like my new sheets though, they're from Marks & Spencers - so pretty!

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Empties #7

I've built up quite a little collection of empty products again, but I'm grouping them together so technically it's still five ;) Also sorry about the crappy photos, I still can't afford a memory card haha!

Liz Earle Botanical Shine Shampoo & Conditioner

Thoughts:  I sadly didn't get on at all well with these, I did a review here where you can read exactly why.  

Cruelty-free?: Yes.

Repurchase?: No.

Lush Big Blue Bath Bomb

Thoughts:  My parents got me this for my birthday but I only just remembered about it recently.  I loved using this, it turns the water blue and it's got wee bits of seaweed in it too!  It smells lovely and it is just like being in a beautiful ocean!  £3.20 here.  

Cruelty-free?: Yes.

Repurchase?: Yes.

Origins A Perfect World Moisturiser

Thoughts:  I didn't really like the smell of this, and it felt a bit too 'wet' on my skin.  

Cruelty-free?: No.

Repurchase?: No.

Origins Brighter By Nature Moisturiser

Thoughts:  I quite liked this as a moisturiser although I'm not sure about the skin tone correcting, didn't see any of that!  It's good that it has a high SPF in it.  

Cruelty-free?: No.

Repurchase?: No, but I probably would if they were cruelty free.

Clarins Gentle Foaming Cleanser

Thoughts:  This was fine, as foaming cleansers go...  I'm a bit scared of them now after that #bbloggers chat about skincare where Caroline Hirons said that foaming cleansers are not good for your skin!  

Cruelty-free?: No.

Repurchase?: No.

Avon Ideal Shade Cream-to-Powder Foundation in Ivory

Thoughts:  I actually really liked this!  The only thing I didn't like was the smell, it was a bit gross.  It matched my skin tone well, and was so quite and easy to use.  It is supposedly a cheap dupe for the Urban Decay one.   

Cruelty-free?: No.

Repurchase?: Sadly not!

Une Eyebrow Pencil in B04

Thoughts:  This was too dark for me as the shade lighter was out of stock at the time.  I do quite like these pencils but they are very soft so need sharpening often.  Also they are like a long cuboid shape so the bit you sharpen is a square, which makes life interesting!  

Cruelty-free?: Yes.

Repurchase?: Possibly in an emergency!

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