Turquoise lagoon with a silver lining tutorial

What you will need:

Base coat

Top coat

Striping tape

Any two contrasting colours.

I used Maybelline in Turquoise Lagoon and Sparitual in Silver Lining

Patience and time

Step 1: Apply the base coat to your nails. 

Step 2: Apply your main colour on all nails except one, and apply your accent colour on that nail. I used two coats of each colour.

Step 3: Once your accent nail is completely dry, apply the striping tape in a fanned out design. Press down the tape completely.

Step 4: Apply two coats of the main colour over the striping tape.

Step 5: Wait. be patient! Once the top colour is completely dry, slowly peel off the striping tape, one by one, starting from the top layer. 

Above is the finished product without a flash.

Below is with a flash.

What are your favourite contrasting colours?

Mani Disaster!

I went for a manicure and pedicure on Friday afternoon, it has been an extremely long time since I went for a professional one, and I was so disappointed. I am not going to mention where or who, but I will give the details of my disappointment. 

Firstly, when I go for a mani-pedi, I expect Essie or OPI, or at least China Glaze nail polishes to be used. Revlon and Sinful Colors just do not cut it. I don't have a problem with these brands, but I have them at home, many of them.

Secondly, I am a messy painter, but when a professional does my nails, I don't expect to have nail polish all over my fingers.

Thirdly, I expect the therapist to be dressed in a uniform, or at least tie her hair back.

Lastly, I expect my nails to be filed smooth, no jagged edges.

So, I had Revlon black polish on my fingers, and Sinful purple on my toes. My toes came out perfectly, I love the colour! My fingers, sigh, it was uneven, messed everywhere, to the point that I had to go home and clean up the edges, and even paint a glitter coat over. My boyfriend said he could even do a better job! 

So, this is what they ended up looking like, after my editing. Luckily I got to use my new Essence Topper Coat, which made my nails look like a starry night sky.

Have you ever had any bad beauty experiences?

Enzyme Exfoliators: What, why, how and when?

By now we all know the importance of exfoliating our skin, so I am not going to get into that too much. My focus is going to be on enzyme exfoliators instead of the usual granular type. 

So, WHAT is an enzyme exfoliator? An enzyme exfoliator contains either fruit or chemical exfoliants which rids your skin of old skin cells for a brighter face without the granules. 

So, WHY would you use an enzyme exfoliator instead of a granular one? Granular exfoliators can be harsh on the skin, especially if you have active acne. Granular exfoliators can break the skin which could lead to scarring and infection.

So, HOW do you use it? You apply it to the skin, as you would a face cream, massaging it into the skin, and leave it on for the recommended time. I personally leave mine on overnight, and I wake up to noticeably fresher more radiant skin. As with all exfoliants, it is important to moisturise after using it, as it can be drying.

Lastly, WHEN should you use it? Enzyme exfoliators can be used anytime, there is no down time, and can be used as often as you would a granular exfoliator. I try to use it once a week, but it depends on your skin. Over exfoliating is not good for your skin either, as it strips your skin of natural oils and could even cause your skin to over produce oils which could lead to break outs. 

Fellow friend, beauty blogger, fitness freak and qualified medical aesthetician Yasmin, of Shades of Mink Blog has a DIY recipe for an enzyme exfoliator. Check it out here: DIY Fruit Enzyme Exfoliator

If DIY is not your thing, the two enzyme exfoliators I use are affordable and give excellent results. 

Skin Science Rejuvenating Enzyme Exfoliator is sold on Rubybox and at Dischem. 

It costs R129.95 for 50ml. 

Sknlogic enzyme exfoliator is sold on Style 36 and on the Sknlogic website.

It costs R115 for 75ml. 

I have included write ups on each from the websites mentioned above:

This apple fragranced gentle exfoliator is a combination of fruit enzymes and apple stem cells that lifts and gently peels away old dry skin, revealing a new radiant skin. Widely believed to be one of the most effective skin renewal treatments with a host of benefits that leaves you with soft and radiant skin. Suitable for all skin types.

Directions:

After cleansing apply a generous amount of Revitalising Enzyme Exfoliator to the face and neck. Massage into skin for 1 to 3 minutes. After another minute rinse off with lukewarm water. 

Tip: Leave overnight for optimum results. 

A powerful skin polisher that combines natural and chemical exfoliants to refine skin texture and enhance penetration of actives into skin, while papaya extract not only works as an enzyme but works to repair the skin as well. Suitable for all skin types.

Directions: Apply after cleansing and toning to dampened skin to remove dead skin cells. Scrub gently using circular motions, avoiding the eye area. Rinse thoroughly with lukewarm water. Follow with your moisturiser. For maximum results use 2 to 3 times per week. Pair with a face mask to further promote overall skin health.

Both of these brands have a full range of products which they recommend to be used in conjunction with the exfoliators, as do all cosmetic companies. I personally don't though, but that's up to you.

All the tips I have given are from my own experiences and from reading beauty and skin care articles and magazines. I am not qualified as a skin care therapist, so please do patch tests and your own research.

Happy Exfoliating!

My nail polish collection

So, I have an addiction to nail stuff!

My nail polish collection has just grown and grown recently, there's always a shade or other that I don't have... And no, they are not the same colour, they are different shades of the same colour!

My nail polish collection below

My nail art stuff!

After I took those pictures, I went on another little spree at Dischem...

Love the saying below, so so true!

I found these pictures on Instagram and Pinterest and love them! I'm sure all you make up lovers/addicts out there will appreciate it.

So, what's your beauty addiction?

Sally Hansen Gem Crush

I bought these Sally Hansen Gem Crush Nail polishes a while ago, but hadn't had a chance to actually use them. Finally I used them last night. I love the colours, and the look it gives, with just two coats. Its so easy to have stunning nails these days with all the different effect nail polishes. This polish dries really quickly, which is great when you don't have much time. 

I used two coats of Showgirl Chic, the one on the far left, with a base and top coat. What do you think? You can't really see from the pictures, but this polish actually has some blue glitter in it too. The first picture is without a flash, and the second is with a flash. 

I love it! Still have three more to try, will keep you posted! :)

August Rubybox and boutique orders!

I woke up this morning to my monthly surprise! I have subscribed to Rubybox for nearly a year now, some months are better than others, but I always love a surprise once a month! 

This months box had a value of about R345, and the monthly fee is R120. Totally worth it!

Hope everyone who reads this has already received their box, so I don't spoil the surprise!

I also placed some boutique orders from their massive sale! Below are my new babies!

Can't wait to start using them! :)

Stamping tips and tricks!

Following my plea for help, fellow beauty blogger, and nail art master Michelle from Ordinary Misfit sent me a detailed email with her tips and tricks! 

Here is the link for her blog Ordinary Misfit Blog which has so many stunning designs!

She was kind enough to allow me to share her tips and tricks on my blog, to help my followers... I have already started trying some of the tips, especially the gift card one! I love it! I have a Guess one that was too pretty to throw away, so it is now part of my stamping kit :)

So, here are some of her tips... 

I don't use the scraper that comes with the set.  Mine was/is metal and I find that I can't scrape it properly on a metal plate without either scratching it or scraping off too much polish.  I now use a plastic gift card or bank card.  I actually have a Pavilion gift card I now use and works like a charm.  I find it scrapes enough polish off but doesn't take the polish out of the design.

I also keep the card at a bit of an angle.  This seemed to help quite a bit.

Picking up the image.  I usually end up pressing straight down and lifting straight up.  Some people recommend a rolling motion but I prefer to just press and pick up.  This prevents smudging.  The only exception is is the image is too big for the stamper.  In which case it doesn't really matter :)

Transferring the image to your nail.  Here I use the rolling motion.  I line up the image by using the one side of the nail as a guide.  (If it is a full image design I line up the edge to the edge of my nail.  If it is a single image I use the side of my nail to guide to get it where I want it to go.) I then press the stamper onto my nail and in one motion roll it over my nail.  This does take a few practice runs but once you get the hang of it you will just get it and never struggle again.  :)

Another trick is the polish.  Not any and every polish will be suitable for stamping.  At Dischem, essence sells stampy polish.  They work like a charm.  Sinful colours  black and white also work really well.  Tip Top Armour plate or Aluminium work great.  Essence - Fame Fatal is also great.  You will need a polish that is a little thicker (not always) and also completely opaque in one coat.  Once you have a few that work great you will quickly realise what it takes.  I actually try quite a few of my polishes every now and then.  Sometimes they will surprise you ;)

Here is her post about stamping: http://ordinarymisfit.com/2013/03/01/essence-stampy-set-and-stampy-designs/

Thank You Michelle!

Purple Glitter

I have so many new nail polish colours that I was so excited to use! It was hard to choose, but eventually I decided on the Revolution mirror polish in Chevrolet, and the Revlon colour in Facets of Fuchsia. I really love the Revolution colour, it is highly pigmented, and an amazing colour. The Revlon colour is also quite pigmented, with different sizes of glitter in it. 

The colours went quite well together, take a look :)

The Revolution polish is really affordable, and the Revlon one was on sale, yay!

Nail Art Stamper... Help me please!

I bought a nail art stamper at last! I have seen so many pictures of stunning nail art done using a stamper, and wanted to get one for myself. I have not used it yet, but I did try it out on paper. The stamper came with five discs, a stamper and a scraper. There are seven different patterns on each disc. I found it quite hard to scrape well enough and clean the sides, without removing the pattern. And I found when I pressed the stamper on the disc, it slid a bit and smudged.

I will upload some pictures of my nails once I have used the stamper, I will keep practising in the meantime, so I have something decent to show.

Does anyone have any tips on using the stamper, please leave me some comments? I would love to hear from you guys, I need all the help I can get. Especially for the full nail patterns. :)

I look forward to hearing from you!