Reviving Polish - Polish never dies!

I would hate to see a much loved polish die unnecessarily. 

If they run out fair enough, they have lived their life... but if they dry out or go gooey, they can be revived.

Now, nail polish remover will thin polish but it will also make it dry slowly, look uneven and generally be crappy. (Your polish will not thank you for it...)

Seche Restore is my saviour.

I've tried quite a few others (Mavala, OPI ect) but nothing compares.

Seche Restore has something called Toluene in it. The Toluene helps to make polish smooth and even, it also helps it dry quickly! (...bonus)

Seche Restore comes with a really cute little dropper too! (...2nd bonus)

To keep polish happy, keep it out of sunlight and keep it closed tightly 
(when your not using it, obviously!)

Remember if the cap of your polish is stuck on, wrap an elastic band around it to give you grip!

PPx

Summer Fling Water Marble

You may have seen my first attempt at water marbling, well I've made a bit more mess and this is what I eventually achieved!

I used...

Nubar Yellow Sorbet

Barry M Spring Green

Barry M Cyan Blue

Barry M Bright Purple

Essie Tart Deco (Coral)

When you are undertaking such a messy task its a good idea to put something on your skin around your nails to make clean up that little bit easier.

I use either tape or Vaseline. Both have pros and cons. Tape you can take off straight away, whereas you have to wait for the polish is dry with Vaseline. 

But Vaseline is quicker to put on in the first place!

Oh the problems of being a polish-a-holic!

Very happy overall but I still get small bubbles in the polish. 

Not sure how to solve that, any ideas??

PPx

Mavala Scientifique Nail Hardener

This is the most amazing stuff you will ever use.  

Its not like a polish, its a liquid that sinks into your nails. 

Put it on bare nails before your base coat and let it dry. Working from the tips apply it half way up your nails (but don't get any on your skin)

For me, it worked from the very first time I used it. 
I was a fully fledged nail chewer for years and when I decided to grow my nails, they rebelled. They were paper thin and peeling, meaning any polish I put on them chipped off after a few hours (annoying) but this little miracle revived them.

The bottle is very tiny, but don't let this put you off... with the amount of it you actually need per application it will last forever.

If you paint your nails very regularly, maybe apply it with every other manicure. This is what I do and my nails grow quite long now, without much trouble.

Mavala Scientifique Nail Hardener is available from Boots.
It'll be the best £6 you've ever spent...


PPx

Snakeskin Bundle Monster Bonanza

I fancied myself some Snakeskin, so this is what I came up with...

This is GOSH Gold, Orly Glam Rock and Color Club Snakeskin, painted in diagonal bands. I used Wet n Wild Black Creme for the stamping with Bundle Monster plate (BM 215)


BM 215 is from the 'new' collection, there are so many full nails designs. 
Have a look!

I really love this look and its so easy as your don't have to be precise with the bands underneath.

PPx

Solar Oil & Balmy goodness...

I slosh Solar Oil on my nails at every opportunity. 

I have a small bottle of it in my drawer at work, a tub of the balm in my handbag and a big bottle in my nail kit. Slightly obsessed, me...? 

It absorbs really easily. I rub it into my nails, cuticles and the skin just above my cuticles.... Sounds odd but this is where your new nail is formed, so you can get a head start on feeding it!

Solar oil moisturises your nails through nail polish and even stops your polish drying out and chipping. Moisturising your nails creates flexibility, meaning less breaks. Woooooop!!

Now I used to think all nail oils were created equal, I was wrong. 

Apparently the Jojoba Oil in Solar Oil is the magic ingredient that helps the Vitamin E and other lovely things penetrate your nail.
Anyway, Solar oil keeps your nails and cuticles looking b-e-a-utiful... I love it.

PPx

Look, what a beauty... Chanel peridot dupe!

Well, I've been AWOL for more than a little while. But I'm back!

Here is Look Beauty's Kimono...

Hard to photo, but very beautiful, Kimono is a golden green metallic duochrome with brown flashes.

Slightly darker than Chanel Peridot, very nearly a dupe.

This is two coats, but I'm betting that one coat over black would be (even more) flipping AMAZING!

Look Beauty have a new range available in Superdrug. 

Their polishes (or nail pops) are £5 each.

After this lil' beauty, I will be trying the rest.

Scores!

Quality: 8

Colour: 8

Application: 8

Wear time: 9

PPx

Nubar Enchanting Red... Hello Reds!!

This is Nubar Enchanting Red... and very nice it is too.

I needed a dark(ish) red 'enchanting' enough to convince me to wear it,

so I this is where I decided to begin.

I'm not all that fond of dark colours but I have seen the light, as it were, I am converted! Think I've probably got a few more to try in the depths of my collection...
Back to the point, here it is!

This is two coats of Enchanting Red with Seche Vite top coat.

I love Nubar, even the colours which can easily miss-behave (I'm looking at you Pale Yellow) Nubar seems to be able to manage with ease.

Enchanting Red looks darker in the bottle than on the nail, but you will not be disappointed. The colour appears slightly darker on the curves of your nail, but not blackened. The pearly sheen really makes it stand out.

I wore the polish for 4 days before any chippy-ness occurred.

PPx

Orly Glam Rock

Hello! Happy Friday!! This is Orly Glam Rock...

Glam Rock is a heavily pigmented shimmery light bronze foil. It has a smooth suede texture and doesn’t feel rough to the touch. This is two coats (no top coat).

Glam Rock is nearly opaque in one coat, two were only just about needed...

The colour and finish are pretty unique, I haven’t seen much else like it.

This photo was taken in non direct sunlight and you can still see it shimmer!

It’s a dream to paint, the brush is sooo easy to control. Dry time is also great, matts and suedes always seem to have quick dry time but this stuff is insane. Within 5 minutes it seemed completely dry.

I had the polish on for 5 days and didn’t get any chips, not even tip wear. It wasn't really a fair test as I was wearing gel underneath. But even without the gel I reckon it would still wear well.

I love using Orly, the cap really fit nicely in your hand for painting and its rubberised too, which gives you good grip when dried polish on the neck of the bottle has 'Superglued' the cap on.

PPx

Strong Nails.... grow those talons!

I have found a few little ways to strengthen my nails and I thought I would share them with you...

• I start off with filing and shaping my nails with an OPI crystal file, this really stops peeling and splitting.
• Before I paint on my base coat I apply Mavala Scientifique Nail Harder. It completely soaks in and 'penetrates' the nail. This adds an extra shield layer. Only apply it to half way up your nail from the tip and try not to get any on your skin.
• When I'm painting on my base coat I paint the entire nail (and I mean the entire nail) paint the nail bed, across the tip and underneath the tip. Every little helps! I use Nubar Nu Nails, really helps stop staining too.
• Lastly I apply Solar Oil/Balm whenever I get a chance, this really helps your nails flexibility.

Gook Luck!

PPx

Kerastase Elixir Ultime

Ive been hearing all about Argan Oil hair products for a while now, so I decided to try some for myself. The first thing I was tempted to try was Moroccan Oil, until my trusty hair dresser told me about this...

 

Along with Argan oil the Elixir also contains Pracaxi Oil, Maize Oil and Camellia Oil, which all are apparently very good for your hair!

You can use the Elixir in loads of ways, serum for wet hair, smoother for dried hair and a pre-wash treatment too.

  

It smoothes and softens my hair a treat, whichever way I use it.

I apply 2 pumps of the serum to the lengths of my wet hair, along with all of my regular hair products. Whether I wear my hair curly or straight it adds shine and softness. If my hair is ever feeling a bit dry, I rub in 2 pumps of the product about 20 minutes before washing. Problem solved! 

I always have the problem of hair oils and serums weighing my thin hair down, which this doesn’t do at all!

Kerastase also claims the Elixir protects your hair, which it definitely does, but I still use a heat protection spray when I'm straightening.

My hair is in much better condition since I started using the product and although it is quite expensive (around £28) I will keep using it. A very little goes such a long way.

So far I’m sold on Argan oil...

PPx