Tutorial | How To Make Your Nails Stronger

Over the years I've always struggled with my nails because they are so fragile. It seems as soon as I got them to a length I was happy with one would break and it would start a domino affect. Before I knew it they had all broken and I was back to square one which gets very frustrating! At times my nails are so fragile they are also pretty bendy which means they are even more likely to snag and break so this year I decided enough was enough and I'd try some new ways to make them stronger and healthier. They are by no means the perfect nails but there is definitely an improvement so I thought I would share my tips with you in case any one else has been struggling with weak nails like I have!

1) Hard as Nails - I use Sally Hansen Hard as Nails weekly which has definitely helped strengthen them. I apply 1-2 coats depending on whether I am going to apply other nail polish over the top. Make sure you apply it all over your nail, including the edges and let it dry properly between coats.

2) Don't pick your nail varnish - I have a bad habit of picking my nail varnish when I am stressed and I've come to the conclusion it is making my nails weaker because I'm pretty sure it often takes off some of the nail too. This is definitely a no no when it comes to getting healthier nails!

3) Don't pick your nails - If you want strong and long nails don't pick them! It's not something I do but it's an important one to note because it will weaken your nails and make them look uneven.

4) Weekly manicures - I do a weekly manicure which at first started off to be a bit of a chore but after seeing the results week on week I actually began to look forward to it. Included in my mani I remove my nail polish, buff, file and clip my nails, reapply hard of nails and my nail polish.. done!

5) File your nails - I mention filing my nails above but I think it has really helped. My nails look so much better having a defined shape and the more you do it the easier it is. Remember to only file your nails in one direction and have one in your bag to file any snagged nails that occur while your out.

6) Apply nail polish - This is a controversial one as some people say that nail polish makes their nails break more but for me it's the opposite. I found whenever I had chips that's exactly where my nails break so now I always make sure my nails are completely covered in polish. If I get a chip during the day I make sure I touch it up or reapply the varnish to the whole nail as soon as I can and it's definitely prevented getting breaks!

Following the above has made my nails look and feel far healthier and stronger. I'm by no means an expert but these are things I've have done and what has helped me! 

What are your tips for stronger, healthier nails?

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Barry M Pink Silver Polish Review

Everyone knows I love a bit a sparkle and pink so why not combine the two in a polish? I picked up Barry M Pink Silver Polish in my most recent haul and I've worn it almost every day since.  Unlike other glitter polishes in my collection, this one is very fine so it looks subtle and pretty on the nails even when you wear it on all of them rather than just on an accent nail. I also love the pretty pink shade in this polish as it isn't so pale you could call it a pastel but at the same time it isn't bright and in your face. Without doubt Pink Silver Glitter is definitely one of my favourite polishes at the moment!

Pink Silver Glitter applies beautifully and after two coats you get a gorgeous opaque finish and after a third a flawless finish.  The staying power is also pretty good as it lasted around five days before chipping, however, when it came to removing it naturally it was a nightmare as it's a glitter polish.  I seem to remember reading a trick for removing glitter polish sometime ago but I can't remember what it was now... if you know please leave a comment below as I'd be very grateful!

Priced at only £2.99 this polish is a bargain and one I will definitely be using a lot over Spring and Summer. You can buy it in your local drugstore, such as Superdrug.

For anyone who is wondering, the other polish pictured above is Essie Hors D'Oeuvres which is a very pretty silver glitter suspended in gold liquid.

What do you think of Barry M Pink Silver Glitter?

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GOSH SS14 PRODUCT LAUNCH

Hi Guys! Last week I attended the launch of the Spring/Summer 2014 collection for GOSH cosmetics with the lovely Rachel from Beauty Queen UK so in today's post I would like to share what we got up to.

I was really looking forward to attending this event because I hadn't actually tried any GOSH product before so I was intrigued to see what they were like and of course it's always exciting when a new range is launched.  When we arrived we were greeted by our lovely hosts as well as a glass of bubbly and quickly introduced to one of the make-up artists who was giving make overs using the new products. This gave us a really great opportunity to learn more about the products whilst having our own little make-over. 

After browsing and swatching the other products on offer we headed over to the nail area where we both had a manicure.  After taking some deliberation I decided to have a manicure with Frosted Plum which is a gorgeous deep, matte plum with specs of gold and red glitter. I've had this polish on my nails all week and a lot of people have commented on how lovely it is so this one is definitely a winner!

The GOSH Cosmetics Spring and Summer collection is full of bright and playful colours which I was very impressed with.  The collection includes eight very pigmented lipsticks in a range of colours so whether you're into nudes or brights there is something for everyone.  During my make-over they applied 'Yours Forever' which a bright red which I really like because it is a true red rather than being orange toned.  It left my lips with a beautiful shine, felt very comfortable to wear and surprisingly it stayed in place all evening.. very impressive! These lipsticks also include vitamin E and oils to protect the lips and keep them nourished.  

The new collection also includes eight lip lacquers which are a hybrid between a lipstick/stain and lip gloss. This is definitely a product you could wear on it's own or over a lipstick to give it a more glossy finish and the range includes highly pigmented colours as well as more sheer shades.  The lip laquers are enriched with vitamin E and Argan oil too so they don't dry out your lips which is great because these are products you would wear for many hours at a time.  I had the red shade 'Hot Lips' over the top of my lipstick and it finished off the look really one.  Anyone who likes to add a beautiful shine to their lips should definitely check these out.

The stand out products for me in the GOSH SS14 collection are the Forever Eyeshadow Sticks. All of the colours in this collection (eight in total) are stunning and easy to wear and I love the metallic finish they have. The formula is extremely creamy and soft so they are very easy to blend but when you stop working with the product they settle and are very long lasting. I had swatches of these eyeshadows on my hand all evening and they didn't smudge at all. In fact, it took quite a lot of effort to get them off when I got in, however, the product was removed easily from my eyes using make-up remover. These eyshadows are definitely a must see!

Next in the collection is an assortment of five nail lacquers which are all packed full of glitter but have a matte finish.  I'm not normally a fan of textured polishes but I really like these ones because they have the pretty glitter running throughout them. My favourite in the collection is Frosted Plum quickly followed by Frosted Rose.

Last but not least is a very unique product called Prime 'N Set. This is a fine white powder which can can used to set your make-up as well as a primer too. I love the idea of a two in one product and I'm really interested to see how this works and give it a try as it's so different from anything I have used before. Prime 'N Set is also said to minimise pores, fine lines, redness and imperfections

I will be doing a detailed review on each of the products from the SS14 collection so if you're interested in finding out more about them watch this space!

What do you think of the GOSH SS14 collection?

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ESSIE HORS D'OEUVRES NAIL POLISH REVIEW

Today's post will be a short and sweet review of a super sparkly nail polish by Essie called Hors D'Oeuvres.  This polish is beautiful and I just couldn't resist buying it on my last shopping trip as well as some other glitters which also featured in my most recent haul post.

Hors D'Oeuvres is an assortment of iridescent large silver glitter suspended in a light gold liquid which very pretty layered over a different polish or built up as an accent nail.  When I last wore this polish I teamed it with Essie Maximillian Strasse Her which is a lovely duck egg blue shade and this glitter worked perfectly as an accent nail which broke up the colour. I have also seen it teamed with nude shades such as Barry M Lychee, pink, like Essie Not Just A Pretty Face and deeper shades added only the tips which also looks very nice! One of my favourite combinations is Essie Midnight Cami with Hors D'Oeuvres painted lightly on the tips.. it's very pretty!

This polish is very versatile and the formula is perfect so you can get a light coverage with one layer or an opaque finish with three.  This polish isn't as long lasting as some I have tried but I did have it on for four days before there were any signs of chipping. Naturally being a glitter this polish is also very hard to remove with normal nail remover unless you have a little patience!

I think I will get a lot of use out of this polish and I would definitely recommend you checking it out if you are into glitters.  Personally, I don't think the picture does this polish justice as it doesn't seem to pick up particularly well.

You can buy Essie Hors D'Oeuvres from Superdrug for £10.99 which is more expensive than the majority of polishes Essie polishes and for me verging on the expensive side but it is lovely.

What do you think of this sparkly polish?

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Essie Maximillian Strasse Her Review

Today I will be sharing a pretty Essie nail polish which I think is a great shade to wear in Spring and Winter.  Named, Maximillian Strasse Her, this colour is a gorgeous duck egg blue which is pretty unusual for me as I usually stick to pink, berry and nude shades.  This however, is a nice exception and a polish I regularly wear as it is a little different.

Maximillian Strasse Her (it's quite a mouthful!) looks great after two coats of polish and stays chip free for around 7 days when teamed with a good base and top coat. The formulation is reasonable thick so if you are in a rush you can even get away with one coat but two is always best.

This Essie polish was part of the 2013 Spring collection.  I'm not sure if it is still available anywhere but if you can find, I would definitely recommend it!

What do you think of this shade?

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Essie Decadent Dish Review

 

Those of you who are regular readers of my blog will know that I love Essie polishes.  Not only is a wide colour range available but they are good quality (although the formulation between shades does seem to vary a little) and easily available at the drug store.  In Autumn and Winter I tend to wear darker shades or nude tones and a favourite of mine at the moment is Decadent Dish.

 

In the bottle Decadent Dish looks like a pretty red, brown shade with subtle pink and gold but when applied to the nails the shimmer effect is much more subtle. As it catches you light you can still see the pretty shimmer but it just isn't quite as obvious.

 

The formula of this shade is very thin and after one coat it is streaky and looks more brown, however, after a second coat your nails have a flawless finish.  When paired with a sparkly accent nail this polish looks stunning and is a look I often go for as it is suitable for both day and night.

 

You can buy Decadent Dish from Superdrug for £7.99.

What do you think of this shade?

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Barry M Nail Art Pen Review

I am always very envious when I look at nail blogs or pictures on Twitter or Instagram because there are so many talented nail art people out there.  I love the creative designs and techniques and could quite easily spend hours looking at them getting inspiration.  Despite this, it's not often I actually do anything adventurous with my nails.  I tend to stick to safe options so they easily match different outfits throughout the week and aren't too prominent at work.  

I spotted the Barry M Nail Art pen quite some time ago whilst buying some polishes and as there was an offer I decided to buy it.  There were two options available, gold and silver but I opted for the silver to match my jewellery. Although, there are actually other colours available in the collection. 

To use, you simply pump the tip of the pen until you start to see the silver formulation and then you're good to draw any design you want.  I opted for something super simple and something I love to see on nails, polka dots.  Although mine aren't particularly neat (this was a first attempt and rushed) the pen is very easy to use and it's fine tip means you can be very precise. 

I'm very impressed by the Barry M Nail Art Pen.  The formula dried very quickly so you don't have to worry about smudging,  you can get precise application and a variety of colours are available.  I will definitely be using this pen regularly and might even splash out on some more colours in the range!

You can by the Barry M Nail Art pen from Superdrug for £4.99.

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OPI Every Day is Oktober Fest Review

I recently attended a beauty bloggers meet up at Rush House of Hair where we were lucky enough to have an OPI or Essie manicure.  The colours available varied between the two brands, OPI having a slightly more Autumnal feel so it was a pretty easy choice to go with one of their shades.  One of the first ones I spotted was Every Day is Oktober Fest which is from the OPI Germany collection and it is the perfect Autumn shade.

Every Day is Oktober Fest is a gorgeous deep plum which had a subtle hint of red and shimmer.  Depending on the light it can look a little more red or purple as seen in the pictures above but always looks gorgeous.  Whilst wearing the polish, a countless number of people commented and it is definitely a shade I would like to add to my collection. It is perfect for Autumn and Winter due to the mixture of colours and this shade looks great when teamed with a variety of outfits whether it be for day or night.

The formulation seemed to be a reasonable consistency and with only two coats my nails had a flawless finish.  However, it only lasted two days before chipping which is pretty poor, especially for such an expensive polish.  I'm not sure what top coat was used but all of the OPI polishes in my collection have lasted longer than this without chipping so I like to think it may be down to the top coat that was combined with it rather than Oktober Fest

You can buy Every Day is Oktober Fest from Look Fantastic for £11.00.   I would like to purchase this polish sometime in the near future and hope when teamed with a different top coat it will remain chip free for a lot longer *fingers crossed* because I love it.. I think it's a new favourite!

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Essie It's Genius Review

I'm a big fan of Essie polishes and when I looked at my collection I came across one I haven't worn for a while.  I guess the only reason is because I've been wearing more pink and nude shades during summer and 'It's Genius' is more of an Autumn shade although it's so pretty nothing would stop me from wearing it all year around if I remembered I had it.

'It's Genius' is a gorgeous deep berry/purple toned polish that a subtle glitter running through it. This is one of my all time favourite nail polish shades.  It isn't too bright or too dark, it isn't plain but at the same time isn't too over the top either., it is the perfect metallic shade.  The formulation is what I would describe as 'normal' i.e not too thick or thin so you get flawless coverage with only two coats. As with most Essie polishes I have been impressed with how long this polish lasts without chipping.  When combined with both base and top coat it lasts around 5-6 days which is plenty for me as I change my nail polish weekly anyway.

You can buy Essie It's Genius from Boots for £7.99.

What do you think of the 'It's Genius' shade?

P.S I have a different colour on my ring finger in the picture above.

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Autumn Nail Polishes

 

 

 

 

 

Autumn is here so I've swapped my pink polishes for my purple, berry and red shades and wanted to share some of my favourites with you.  Here goes:

Essie Bahama Mama

I love this polish and it is one I actually wear all year around.  The deep raspberry tones are gorgeous and this shade goes with a multitude of other colours so you don't have to worry too much about your nails clashing with your outfit (something I hate).  Bahmama Mama is gorgeous to wear both during the day and evening too... It's my favourite! Read the review here.

Essie It's Genius

This polish is a gorgeous purple shade with a metallic finish.  It has very subtle glitters which catch the light and looks lovely with both day and evening wear.  Every time I have used this polish people have commented on it.

Essie In Stitches

In Stitches is not a shade a would usually choose but it was on Fragrance Direct when I was buying other things so I thought I would give it a try.  I was pleasantly surprised.  The shade is a deep terracotta, salmon and is great to wear in Autumn.  It reminds me of leaves.

*W7 Bronze Debris

Bronze Debris is a perfect polish to wear over the top of plain bases to make them a little different.  It contains different sized gold, black and pale pink specs and glitters which look gorgeous.

OPI Diva of Geneva

This polish is a pretty deep purple shade with pink undertones.  It has a pearl finish so you can see a subtle gold shimmer when it catches the light.

 

 

What polish is your favourite for Autumn?

 

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Oriflame Giordani Gold Lacque Brilliance Nail Polish Review

 

 

 

 

As mentioned in a post I wrote last week, my nails are very fragile so when I heard Oriflame cosmetics was launching a new 2-in-1 nail polish range which delivers mirror-like shine and nail protection at the same time I was very intrigued.

The Giordani Gold Lacque Brillance range includes five beautiful, classic shades:

 

Misty White

Pearly Nude

Pink Carat

Lacquered Cherry

Royal Red

 

The one I will be speaking about today is 'Pearly nude' which is a very pretty peach/nude shade which flaunts a hint of pink when it catches the light due to its pearly nature. I love this colour nail polish because it goes with everything.  I love to have bright nails too but I do find it a little annoying when it clashes with an outfit so I often prefer to wear nude shades.  This is particularly true during the working week.

The formula of the Giordani Gold Lacque Brillance range contains a fortifying complex which revives and protects nails by smoothing uneven, ridged surfaces and prevents signs of aging such as dryness and brittleness.  The result are nails that look and feel stronger, smoother and healthier. My nails aren't particularly brittle or dry, in fact they are the opposite as they are very flexible and bend but I have found this polish is great at providing some extra protection for my nails and help prevent this from happening.  The nails are also left feeling smooth and after removing the varnish they do look healthy.

On application, I find the formula to be very thin so to get the coverage I like I tend to apply four coats. This gives me an even, streak free coverage and makes the peach shade look strong and rich, although I can still see my white tips slightly.  I love the high shine finish this polish gives and as it is long lasting I don't always wear it with a top coat.  I just don't feel it is necessary as I don't need to add any extra shine and have found my nails can be chip and scratch free for up to 7 days without it.

Moving on to the packaging of this range.. I love it.  The design is sleek and I love the gold lid and text.  It makes a nice change to silver or black and makes the product feel expensive.  The brush is also the perfect size so you can easily and accurately apply the formula to your nails without getting it everywhere.

Oriflame’s Giordani Gold Lacque Brilliance is available to purchase from the Oriflame website for £8.95.

Have you tried this range? What do you think?

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Rimmel Stronger Base Coat Nail Polish Review

 

 

Everybody needs a base coat to help protect their nails from the constant change of nail polish and so on... if you think about it our nails go through an awful lot.  I don't know about you, but I change my nail polish at least once a week and it does make me wonder what the harsh chemicals are doing to my fragile nails because of the constant stripping of varnish and reapplication. 

My nails grow very quickly but I find they break easily because they are very flexible and bendy.  I find if I catch the corner of one it will always break leaving me with uneven looking nails which I hate.  Due to this I have tried a variety of products to try an strengthen my nails so when I was looking for a new base coat I was keen to try and find something that help stop my nails from breaking so easily.

The product that jumped out at me was the Rimmel Stronger Base Coat.  This pale pink tinted liquid is said to:

• Dry harder
• Double duty base coat
• Strengthen
• Protect

It seemed this base coat had everything I needed and would also save me time as I wouldn't need to apply a strengthener as well as a base.  However, after using this base coat for a year or possibly even longer I haven't noticed a difference at all.  Whilst the Rimmel Stronger Base Coat does protect my nails well against colour, unfortunately, it hasn't made any difference to the strength of my nails.  This is really disappointing as I have used this product on a regular basis for a long period of time so I would have expected to see good results.

The Rimmel Stronger base coat has lasted ages.  I am still using the same bottle I bought all that time ago and I still have the majority of it left.  If you're looking for a good base coat then I would definitely recommend this one.  It does it's job and doesn't have that horrible, strong chemical smell some varnishes have but if you are looking for something to strengthen your nails this product isn't the one.

What products do you use to strengthen your nails?

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Essie Bikini So Teeny Review

 

Today I have a review on what I think seems to be one of Essie's most popular shades, Bikini So Teeny.  I have seen this in dozens of blog posts over the past few months and although I thought it looked very pretty it isn't really a shade I usually go for.. it isn't pink.  However, I decided to give in to the hype and give it a go.

Bikini So Teeny is a gorgeous lilac, blue toned nail polish which is the perfect shade for both Spring and Summer.  It reminds me of blue bells and as soon as I applied it I loved it.  It is so pretty and it is the perfect tone as it isn't too pale or too dark. On the first day I wore this polish my nails attracted a lot of attention and I was surprised about the number of people who commented on how nice it is.

The formulation of Essie polishes seem to differ slightly depending on the shade and this one seems particularly thin.  If you are in a rush you can get away with two coats but it can look a little sparse and patchy in places so three coats is ideal.  The polish dries very quickly and is long lasting, I've been wearing mine for 7 days so far and am completely chip free (I used top coat but no base because I was lazy) which is very impressive.  I love it when you can paint your nails and trust that it will stay in place for a reasonable amount of time. Despite not using a base this time round this isn't something I will be doing again as this polish does stain your nails a little! 

You can buy Bikini So Teeny by Essie from Superdrug for £7.99.

What is your favourite Essie shade? What do you think of Bikini So Teeny?

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