Posts Tagged ‘nailpolish’

Taking care of my cuticles!

Hi all

Thought I would chuck up a quick post on my favorite products for cuticle care! Since stopping biting my nails I have become more than a little obsessed with nail polish and keeping my nails in good condition. These are 4 of my current cuticle care products, all of varying price and quality. The only other product I want to buy is Lush Lemony Flutter which I know is one of the most popular nail care products but $20 is a little expensive and I rarely go to a Lush store.  Anyhow here are the ones I do have :) I apologize in advance for the rather decrepit state of these but they often travel around and my handbag is not a gentle environment  stuffed with books, nail files and goodness knows what else.

First up is another huge favorite on the internet, Burt’s Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream. This is one of my  favorites and the reason why I don’t bother with lemony flutter. This cuticle balm (not a cream as in the name, much more of a solid oil based product) is moisturizing without being overly greasy and I love the scent! It smells like fresh lemon juice, subtle and citrusy. This is a handbag staple for me. Also a little goes a long way so despite the slightly higher price tag compared to the others I think the value is still pretty good. My only negative for this product is the lid can be a pain in the ass to get off and sometimes it is hard to get enough product on your finger to rub on the cuticles.

Orly’s Cuticle Oil is another product I would repurchase as soon as it runs out. This is what I tend to use when I am doing nails at home or putting oil on near all my nail polish stuff as it’s not so easy to carry around in a bag. This is just a liquid oil which has a brush like any of their other nail care products, making application very easy and hassle-free. I love the smell of this,  a soft and sweet citrus scent! And its great for massaging into the nails and cuticles, providing quite long lasting moisture. I believe this retails for around $9 at places like Farmers which I think is quite reasonable as I have had this for ages and use it all the time but it is still half full.

Badger Cuticle Care Balm: This is a similar product to the Burt’s Bee’s in that it is an oily formula in a tin that is easy to chuck in the handbag. The differences for me are that this product is a little less solid and more oily which means I feel it moisturizes better but also is greasier so I tend not to use when on the go/in a rush. It is a lot easier to get product out as it is a slightly softer texture. I love this brand as all their balms are full of organic ingredients! Keep an eye out for one of their products coming up in November favorites! I would rate this above Burt’s Bees purely because it is cheaper and yet bigger in size. Also I think I slightly prefer the smell (a fresh, lemongrass scent) however it is a lot stronger so maybe not so great for those sensitive to strong smells. Definitely recommend giving this or any of their other products a try.

Last up is the newest addition to my cuticle care range: Sally Hansen Cuticle Cream. I picked this up as it was only $8 from the local postie plus. This is definitely a cream, not a balm and I like that it isn’t to greasy and feels quite moisturizing. The smell is pleasant and not too strong and there are lots of oils and what nots to keep the nails healthy.However, of all 4 this is my least favorite and the only one I probably wouldn’t bother getting again. Firstly this was pretty much the contents of the pot when I opened the packaging and to me that is a pretty pathetic amount of cream (whereas the Lemony Flutter cream despite being expensive has a lot more product and would last a lot longer). Its possible I got a dud but who knows. Secondly I prefer some of the other organic products over this as they feel better on my skin in the long term whereas the moisturizing qualities of this wear off pretty quickly. Lastly…well I probably have enough products and don’t need one that I don’t think is quite up to the standards of the other three (might save up for Lush instead).  Not a bad product, just not a favorite.

Overall Winner? It was tough to choose between top three but in the end I think the Badger Cuticle Balm is the best value for money! The tubs are only around $10 which is very reasonable considering the large size, great quality and use of organic products.

I have next month a full nail care post with some of my favorite products e.g. base coats, cuticle removers etc in case anyone is interested :)

What do you use for cuticle care?

Xx

Little Monsters and Other Manicures…

Hi All!

So I am a self-diagnosed nail polish addict but to my horror for the last 6 months or so my hands have been suffering from eczema and general stress induced bad health and so I was far too embarrassed to take photos of the gorgeous nail polish I had been wearing (woe is me! First world problem I know :-/). Luckily my hands have recently got to a state where they aren’t completely unbearable and so I have jumped at the chance to start sharing some of my recent manicures. Please, in advance, forgive my hands not looking totally perfect. They are by no means completely recovered and my nail polish application/photo taking skills are obviously in need of improvement :)

These are all from the last couple of weeks.

First up I have my monster nails that I did for something easy for Halloween. I saw a photo on this blog here and basically just copied that design because I thought it was totally cute! They didn’t come out perfect but I think they were quite sweet! The colours I used were all by OPI: Did it on ’em, A Grape Fit, A Roll in the Hague (next is Did it on ’em again) and Short’s Story (left to right). The black and white were OPI Black Onyx and Alpine Snow. Tool wise I used a dotting tool to do the dots and a black striper for the lines.

OPI: Pedal Faster Suzi
This is a light, shimmery pink that I didn’t think I would ever really wear but once on I fell in love just a tiny bit. An absolutely gorgeous colour however it did feel super girly which was nice but also a bit weird haha. I normally prefer brighter/darker/weirder colours. Application was easy too, this was two coats on top of OPI Ridge Filler with Orly Polish shield as a Top Coat.

OPI: Every Month is Oktoberfest
This is my absolute favorite at the moment! This is a must have polish in my opinion (if you are a tad crazy like me). Looking at the bottle this looks like a fairly normal but pretty copper shimmer and yet it totally transforms on the nail with a purple/blue tone that came out in the above photo more than the orange/red copper shimmer. Heaps of dimension and one of those that shifts colour in the sun, making driving rather dangerous and distracting. Application again was great with two easy coats. Definitely one of those gorgeous lit from within nail polishes.

OPI: Thanks a Windmillon plus Revlon: Sparkling on Thumb and Ring finger
One of my favorite combos is this sage/sea green with rose gold glitter as an accent! Seems a bit strange but reminds me of those succulent plants that are a dusty green and have a pink sheen to them in the light. Thanks a Windmillion is a great OPI formula, only needed a couple of butter smooth coats. The Revlon glitter isn’t perfect and I do tend to do a little dabbing to ensure a more even application but its such a gorgeous glitter that’s fine with me!


OPI: Dating a Royal with OPI: Last Friday Night on Accent Fingers
Terrible terrible instagram photo, I know! I was planning to retake the photos of this the next day then I woke up with some sheet marks and tip wear ugh! So this will have to do :) Dating a Royal is a favorite of mine, beautiful royal blue, opaque in two coats. Last Friday Night is a gorgeous glitter full of blue, green and other colours suspended in a light blue jelly base. Beautiful on top of the royal blue.

OPI: Mod About You
Last up is this gorgeous pale pale white pink. I am not a huge pink person at all, not that you would guess that based on this post, but this pink is my favorite along with the very similar Butter London Teddy Girl because it’s so pale. Although its a bit girly it still feels a bit different and unusual. The formula on this isn’t perfect but two careful coats gives opacity, I just sometimes have a bit of difficulty getting a nice even result. I recommend using over a ridge filler as it will help achieve opacity and will also give a more even appearance.

Let me know if this kind of post is interesting to any of you, I love reading nail polish blogs so I thought I would try bringing some of my nail polish hobby into my blog :) Somehow these all ended up being OPI but I promise a bit more of a range in the future!

XX

October Empties

Hi All!

So I don’t normally do empties posts and to be honest am still second guessing this but I enjoy reading other peoples and what is a blog good for if I can’t try things out? I don’t use heaps of makeup and beauty items so this is less of a monthly empties and more a every couple of months or so but we’ll see how it goes :)

1. Health Basics Nourish Nail Polish Remover: This is my go to nail polish remover because it is cheap (around $3) but works well. Contains acetone which is a must for me as I don’t want to spend forever trying to scrub off my polish but I don’t find it super drying and just make sure I moisturize my hands and cuticles after. Repurchase? Yup!

2. OPI Top Coat: So I liked this for a while but as you can see there is a bit left that is almost impossible to use and bubbles like crazy once I get it out anyway. Before it went bad I found it did a fine job but considering its $25 price tag I think their are better alternatives. Repurchase? Nope.

3. Aveeno Intense Relief Hand Cream with Colloidal Oatmeal: I was so sad when I finished this! I thought this handcream was perfection. Extremely hydrating and not at all too greasy. One of the few handcreams that would last me through all sorts of handwashing and dishes and still leave my hands feeling hydrated. No fragrance but that means it was perfect for my sensitive skin. At around $8 it’s reasonably priced so I will definitely repurchase.

4. Lucas PawPaw Ointment: Everyone and their Great Aunt knows about this miracle product. Although I go through phases with this pawpaw ointment I always have one on hand and lately it has become another handbag essential. Although there are other brands I personally love this one and don’t care particularly about its criticisms so long as I feel it works for me. Repurchase? Already had a spare one lined up!

5. Revlon ColorStay Liquid Liner: This was okay but not my favorite eye liner. I find others a bit easier to use like the Maybelline Liquid precise (or something) so a repurchase is probably not on the cards.

6. Garnier SOS Repairing Hand Cream: So in case you haven’t gathered I love hand cream. I get eczema especially when I’m stressed and my hands often get very dry and red. So a good handcream that won’t cause further irritation is an essential. This one was fine, cheap at around $4 but the moisture wasn’t super long lasting and with a few out there I like better (see above) I probably won’t bother repurchasing.

7. Pantene Pro-V Night Miracle Leave On Cream Serum: I don’t use many hair products if any at all other than shampoo and conditioner but this is something I bought on a whim, as you do, and it was pretty good. Using it as an overnight leave in serum, especially on my dry ends, made them a bit more manageable in the morning but it was nothing mind blowing. Repurchase? Maybe if I see it on special but will probably try something different instead.

Well that’s it! Let me know what you think of these posts and whether they are worth doing? I know some people will have no time for beauty blogs but I enjoy tuning out from life to indulge in some shallow beauty posts 😉

Hope you are all having a lovely week

xxx