It's been a while since I've shared a selection of my current most reached for beauty products, so I thought I'd give you a run-down of some favourites that have graced my dressing table as of late.
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Don't we all love beauty devices that make our lives easier, saving us time and money in the process? I'm always looking out for products that can elevate my beauty routines and allow me to achieve salon-worthy results from the comfort of my own home. So, when I discovered both the Sunmay Electric Nail File Set* and the Sunmay Voga 2-in-1 Cordless Hair Straightener*, I had high hopes that they could work wonders, but how have they fared?
AD - This article may feature gifted products denoted by a '*'.
The time to shun darker, vampy nails for lighter and brighter tones is fast approaching. Spring is finally in our sights and the weather seems to be taking a turn for the better (touch wood), but my nails are already in predictable pastel mode. Here are the five polishes I've been wearing in rotation, for Spring.
Now that I've covered Gifts For Her Over £30 and Stocking Filler Ideas, my last present inspiration post includes gifts under £30, again with a mixture of beauty, home-ware, clothing and accessories. If you're short on money or have a lot of presents to buy and expenses at Christmas time, then these gifts are more affordable, whilst still being thoughtful and great quality.
Some months I struggle with cobbling together a post full of favourites and then others, my picks are glaringly obvious and it's a complete doddle. This time around, it's the latter. The past month was one of the busiest I've had for a while and it felt like I was away more than I was at home. With all that travelling, my makeup bag was stuffed with the same line-up for the whole month and, the new products that I did try, happened to make the cut into my monthly edit immediately after giving them a go.
Ciate are the brand to turn to when you're looking for a statement, nail look. Their innovative, nail-design kits allow you to create something a bit more interesting and unusual, without needing to have the patience of a saint when fiddling around with tricky tools. On holiday in Dubai, I picked up the Ciate Very Colourfoil Manicure and I've been loving the cool, edgy look it creates.
April was a busy month for me, as all my weekends were taken up with various trips away. As packing and unpacking bags isn't my favourite job, I pretty much kept the same items in my beauty bags for the whole month. Usually, I get bored when I stick with using the same products for too long, especially when it comes to makeup, but not this time.
Personally, I think of scented nail varnish as a bit of a gimmick. I mean, yes it's a cute idea and I can see the appeal, but realistically I'm happy using plain, ol' polishes if I'm a fan of the formula and the shades. So, I was intrigued to see if the Revlon Parfumerie Scented Nail Enamels would convince me otherwise. When they were first released last year, I seemed to swerve their arrival and didn't pick any up. Recently, whilst on the hunt for some new shades ready for Spring/Summer, they finally caught my eye and I added a trio to my collection; China Flower, Apricot Nectar and Ginger Melon.
Here we have it. After makeup, skincare and haircare, the last post of my Best Of 2014 series, is body and nail favourites. When it comes to body products, I don't like to spend a fortune, unless I'm really treating myself. There's so many affordable brands out there that offer effective products, so there's no need to splash out to get great results!
On Christmas day, aside from spending time with family and eating my bodyweight in roast potatoes, I get most excited about the contents of my stocking. If there's still some room to squeeze a couple of beauty-related presents in *insert appropriate friend or relation here*'s stocking, then I may have a few ideas to help you out. Continue reading for some stocking filler inspiration.
When a product gets rave reviews, but isn't available locally, it just makes you pine for it more. When Sephora launched their website, offering world-wide shipping, I think we all jumped for joy. But, us UK gals weren't able to get our hands on everything featured online, including the vast array of nail varnishes. Cue major disappointment when reaching the checkout. So, on a whistle-stop trip to Paris a couple of weeks ago, I made sure to pick up a few of the famed, Sephora Formula X Nail Colors. After perusing the nail stand for what seemed like an eternity, I added three shades to my basket and about a bajillion more to my wish-list.
Move over brights, it's time for us to slick some darker shades onto our nails, now that autumn has arrived. If you couldn't tell already, the colder seasons are my favourites. I've been craving A/W makeup looks for over a month now, holding off on using richer, deeper tones until the unseasonably warm weather passed. When it comes to nails, I like to stray from the classic, predictable reds in autumn, leaving them for when things start to get a little more festive. Instead, as you can see, I tend to be drawn to blues and purples. One red has sneaked into this post and I've also been obsessed with another shade that I mentioned in my September Beauty Favourites, but other than those flitting dalliances, I'll be saving my red varnishes until Christmas time.
As all of the products featured this month happened to be bought on a whim, I'm not regretting my recent #feelingspendy ways. Often, when you pin your hopes on products riding a wave of hype and expect to be wowed, they're disappointing and it's the ones that seem to come from nowhere that bowl you over.
Summer is finally here and it's time to mix things up beauty-wise. To make the transition from Spring to Summer, there's a few makeup trends that I intend to incorporate into my look, including natural-looking, glowing skin and a bright lip.
Finally, the weather has started to heat up, here in the UK. The products that have been featuring heavily on my dressing table recently, have definitely become more Summer appropriate. This favourites post includes lotions and potions that are helping me to get prepped for flashing a bit more flesh and to go au naturel, in the makeup and hair department.
I very rarely wear red nail polish during the Spring and Summer months, as I favour more bright or pastel shades. Since the weather took (yet another) turn for the worse, during the past week, I thought I'd sport a classic, red nail for one last time, before they're given a rest and stashed at the back of my collection. This time round, I went for Nails Inc. St James.
After stupidly forgetting to pack any nail varnish when I visited my family in Norfolk for Christmas, I ran to the local Boots in search of a quick fix for the time I was spending there. Little did I know that the colour I would pick in a rush, without any more than a quick glance, would turn out to be so beautiful! Subsequently, No7's Stay Perfect Nail Colour in Damson Dream has been my polish of choice for the last couple of weeks and I've really been loving it! This is actually my first venture into the No7 nail varnish world, but I will definitely be paying another visit soon.
There are only two shades in the recent Rimmel Precious Stones Collection set of polishes from, with Diamond Dust being my only pick of the couple. There is a sparkly, ruby red, but I haven't got my hands on that one yet. Seeing how beautiful they are, I wish there were a few more options.
Leighton Denny's Coconutty High Performance Nail Polish was released in the brand's Summer Castaway collection. But, I'm not a fan of wearing darker colours or nudes on my nails during the warmer months, so kept this polish until now.
The Models Own Wonderland Collection of nail varnishes for winter is just stunning and much more interesting than the usual shades and finishes that brands dish out during this time of year. Rather than focus on reds, purples and darker colours, Models Own have concentrated on colours, textures and effects related to snow, frost and ice. Each polish has some sort of glitter within, be it chunky and in your face or fine and more subtle, which I adore.
