Beauty. Fashion. Lifestyle.
Archive for December, 2012
Ciate Velvet Manicure in ‘Mink Cashmere’
10Just before Christmas I was lucky enough to win a Ciate Velvet Manicure set in one of Baobella’s 12 Days of Christmas giveaways on Twitter – thank you Baobella! Baobella are a new online beauty community who are all about ‘the beauty of sharing’. They haven’t launched yet, but there is a lot of excitement surrounding their new website which is almost ready to go live, and they are already making a name for themselves on Facebook and Twitter. Keep an eye on their social feeds for more information about the community!
When Ciate first launched their Velvet Manicure many moons ago, my first impressions weren’t good. I initially thought the velvet looked too thick on the nail, and somewhat unhygienic, but that was before I knew exactly what it was. As I found out more, my opinions soon changed and I was intrigued to try it for myself. So, as you can imagine, I was very excited when this arrived in the post.
My prize was delivered in a bright metallic pink bag, and even contained a little certificate of congratulations – lovely touches which made the parcel a pleasure to open. The set I received is Ciate’s most neutral velvet manicure – Mink Cashmere – which contains a full-size Ciate Cream Soda Paint Pot, an 8.5g bottle of grey crushed velvet powder, and a Little Black Brush. The box also contains a set of instructions, and a plastic tray to catch the excess powder in.
I was slightly worried that the Velvet Manicure would be tricky to apply, but true to Ciate form it is actually extremely easy. It’s really important that your nails are clean before using this, so before I started I wiped my nails with Sally Hansen nail varnish remover, and painted on my favourite Sally Hansen base coat.
The first step in the manicure is to apply a thin coat of Cream Soda to each nail – easy peasy. As with every other Ciate Paint Pot I have ever tried, Cream Soda has a nice, creamy formula which applies evenly, with no fuss, and dries quickly. Once the first coat is dry, a second, slightly thicker coat, is applied. At this stage, the velvet powder is sprinkled over the wet nail, so it’s best to do one nail at a time so the varnish is wet enough to hold the powder.
The pot that the velvet comes in has a secure lid with five holes in it, which allows for mess-free, simple application. All you do is shake the pot gently over your wet nails until they are completely covered with a thick layer of velvet. Just make sure you have the tray underneath to catch the bits that miss!
Next, use the Little Black Brush to tidy up. My advice is to wait a few minutes for the velvet to set before doing this, or you might brush off a bit too much and make a mess of your nails, and nobody wants that! Just lightly sweep over the nail to knock off the excess fibres, and then sweep around the edge of the nail, as the powder tends to stick to the skin a little. Then, again using the brush, gather the fallen velvet together in the tray and tap it gently back in to the pot.
And that’s it! Easy, right? The velvet sets firm in around 10 minutes, and so far has stayed put, which is a good sign. It’s survived a good few hand washes too. Here are a couple of swatch photos of the Velvet Manicure. Since this was a test run I have only used the velvet on one nail for a ring finger manicure, but now that I know it’s up to scratch I will be doing a full velvet manicure next time!
Without Flash
With Flash
On the nail, the velvet feels really soft and smooth, like real velvet, and isn’t too thick at all. Because the fibres are so fine, they don’t clump together, rather, the coverage is very even and looks and feels no thicker than two coats of nail varnish. Both the varnish and the velvet are a delicate grey colour, not my usual choice, but they look extremely classy and I love them both. I’m definitely a Velvet Manicure convert! I think I’ll be asking for the other two shades, Berry Poncho and Blue Suede, for my birthday in February.
To see the full range of Ciate’s Velvet Manicures, visit their website here. The sets retail for £14.00 each, which is excellent value considering they include a full-size Paint Pot! Oh, and don’t forget to check out Baobella too.
Naomi x
Fashion and Beauty Christmas Haul
6Well! After weeks of preparation – shopping, cooking and decorating – Christmas Day has been and gone, and we’re all probably a few pounds heavier than we were this time last week! I hope you all had a wonderful time, celebrating in your chosen way with the people you love, and I hope Santa brought you everything you wished for. I personally had a great time! The highlight of Christmas for me is playing games and doing quizzes with my family, and they were definitely done in abundance.
Christmas isn’t just about the presents, but I got some really lovely fashion and beauty related things this year, so I thought I would share them with you today. I also got a lot of chocolate, baking equipment, geeky stuff (including a bat detector which I’ve been wanting for AGES) and books – my friends and relatives know me well!
So, here are some of my Christmas gifts. Apologies for the strange colouring in a few of the photographs… They were taken in bad lighting!
My dad bought me this absolutely beautiful sterling silver Bat Skull necklace. He mentioned that he got it from Etsy and it was handmade in New York by an obviously very talented maker. I instantly fell in love with it when I opened the box, and in my surprise I ended up dropping the box in my mug of tea, woops! I adore bats so I am going to treasure this piece.
I also love hares, so my dad gave me this large pewter moon hare pendant as well. Isn’t it stunning? I need to find a chain for this pronto so I can start wearing it.
The dinosaur at the top was from my sister, Rex from Toy Story was from my fiancé, and the owl was from my fiancé’s sister. Owls, dinosaurs and necklaces are a few of my favourite things, so I was very pleased to receive all three of these beauties.
I received three different perfumes this year, all of which are replacements for perfumes I already have. Cacharel’s Amor Amor (one of my all time favourites), Vera Wang Princess Night, and an Accessorize Gift Set.
I didn’t get much make up this year, but my cousin gave me 17’s Smoky Eye Palette and a few little 17 lip glosses. The red gloss is gorgeous! The guy at the bottom is a rather cute owl lip balm.
How amazing are these?! My fiancé’s sister gave me these Batman nail transfers. I was so excited when I opened them and I cannot wait to give them a go. Definitely expect a review of these soon.
This cat bag from my mum was one of my favourite gifts this year. It’s big and furry and very soft – it needs to stop raining now so I can use it!
Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without a scarf, gloves or socks, and this year I got all three. The scarf is purple with green skulls and is nice and light – ideal for spring. The socks have squirrels on them, one of my favourite animals, and the rainbow mitten gloves are SO SNUGGLY – win!
Not the best photo in the world but my mum got me a BATMAN ONESIE! Amazing, right?
A massive thank you to everyone who spoilt me this year, I am extremely grateful. Did you get anything fashion and beauty related for Christmas this year? I’d love to see your hauls too!
Naomi x
Ciate Mini Mani Month Round-Up: Part 4
0Evening all,
Are you ready for Christmas yet? I am! This month has gone really quickly, and I have now opened all 24 doors of my Ciate Mini Mani Month advent calendar. This week has been my favourite week of all – Ciate really did save the best until last in my eyes! Here are the final six minis in all their glory… (All pictures are clickable for a closer look.)
Day 19 – Cookies and Cream
I’m sure I’ve said many times before that I’m not really a fan of nude shades, but I have made an exception for this one. Cookies and Cream is a creamy nude beige colour, and it looks so clean and sophisticated on the nail. The above photo shows two coats of varnish, and as you can see the coverage isn’t completely opaque, but three coats would do it. A gorgeous neutral shade, perfect for the office!
Day 20 – Magic Carpet
Magic Carpet is the second exclusive shade to the Mini Mani Month, and it is one of my absolute favourites in the whole calendar. The varnish is a beautiful dark magenta, and it is made up of large and micro glitter flecks. It took three coats of Magic Carpet over two coats of Cookies and Cream to achieve the above look, which is rather a lot of varnish, and in all honesty it didn’t take to my nails very well. The glitter didn’t dry that quickly, and it seemed to melt the colour underneath slightly so it peeled off. I think I’ll use this as a thinner top coat in the future, or just wait a lot longer for it to dry.
Day 21 – Fade to Greige
I absolutely adore Fade to Greige. It is a very dark grey with a violet undertone, which I think would compliment any colour. The formula is lovely and creamy too, so it is a pleasure to apply and dries very quickly. Another classy, sophisticated shade, perfect for versatile every day wear.
Day 22 – Sundance Caviar Pearls
Unfortunately, I haven’t had time to try these Sundance Caviar Pearls yet, but I imagine they’ll have the same easy application and lasting power of the other pearls in the calendar. Sundance is made up of yellowy gold and bright blue beads, with a few flecks of gold glitter scattered throughout. I must say, I am a caviar manicure convert after trying Ciate’s Mini pots, but this shade is probably my least favourite of the four in the calendar.
Day 23 – Mojito and Day 24 – Enchanted Rose
The last two days of the Mini Mani Month featured two Christmassy shades – green and red. Day 23 gave me Mojito, a creamy lime green which forms the base of my holly nail art! It applies like a dream and even, opaque coverage takes just two coats. Mojito is actually a lot less fluorescent than it looks in the photo, which is a positive thing in my opinion as there is definitely such a thing as being too bright!
Today’s shade, the final shade in the box, was the third exclusive shade – Enchanted Rose – a beautiful red glitter varnish. Enchanted Rose forms the berries of my holly nail art, and it has a very sparkly finish, perfect for Christmas day. Unlike some glitters, it isn’t overly sheer, so it wouldn’t take much to build up a bold, bright glitter look. Another winner!
And to finish, here is a picture of two coats of Day 6 shade, Angel Wings, which I didn’t have time to swatch in Part 1…
Overall, I have been extremely pleased with the Ciate Mini Mani Month. The range of colours and finishes in the set is fantastic, and it was definitely worth every penny. I will be using all of these a lot in the future, I imagine! I’m looking forward to trying some more nail art designs with them.
That’s it from me for today… I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas day tomorrow, full of love and laughter!
Naomi x
PS. Here are Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3 of my Ciate Mini Mani Month Round-Up, as well as my introductory post!
Holly Jolly Holiday Tag
2
6 years
by Naomi in General
Evening everyone!
A couple of days ago I was tagged by Proper Sweetie in her Holly Jolly Holiday post (Thanks lovely!) The post looked like a nice bit of festive fun, so I thought I would share my answers with you all and then leave it to you to take part if you want to. So here, are the questions!
1. Do you start your Christmas shopping on Black Friday or wait until the last-minute?
I usually start my Christmas shopping in October, but this year I bought my first present in around August or September, which is early even for me! I had pretty much all of my shopping done by the beginning of December this year, which I’m quite pleased with.
2. If you could be in any Christmas movie what would it be?
I would like to be in The Polar Express! I watch it every year (I literally just finished watching), and I always think the roller coaster train track looks SO fun, and I would love to meet Santa and his reindeer.
3. Which do you like better: Christmas Eve or Christmas Day?
This is a difficult one because I enjoy both for different reasons, but I’d have to say Christmas Day. I like the excitement and anticipation of Christmas Eve, and all the preparation for the big day, but on Christmas Day I get to spend relaxing time with my family, exchange gifts, eat lots of food and play games, which is always a winner.
4. When does your family put up your Christmas tree and who decorates it?
We used to put the Christmas tree up during the first weekend of December, but for the past couple of years we’ve done it during the second weekend. My sister and I decorate the tree together, and always have done, and my mum decorates the rest of the house.
5. White lights or coloured lights?
White all the way! I think they look a lot classier, although having said that, coloured lights have been growing on me a lot more these last few years.
6. Are you guilty of peeking at your presents or do you like the surprise?
I LOVE surprises and I usually have a lot of willpower and manage not to peek, but if the presents are there I have been known (every now and then) to peek, which I am ashamed of! People tend to hide them from me though, so it’s all good.
7. Would you rather live in a gingerbread house or in Santa’s Workshop?
I’d rather live in a gingerbread house as it’d smell lovely and I could always eat the walls if I got hungry, but I wouldn’t mind working in Santa’s Workshop! That would be lots of fun.
8. Tell us your Christmas Eve traditions!
During the day, I usually help my mum or Grandma prepare the food for Christmas Day, depending on whose house we’ll be at. This is done to Christmas CDs most of the time, and in between cooking I wrap last-minute presents and watch Christmassy things on TV. In the evening I often go to my dad’s house with my sister and fiancé, and we have lots of food, drink mulled wine and play board games. The latter will be happening on the 23rd this year though as my dad is working on Christmas Eve, so traditions will be changed a bit.
9. If you could be under the mistletoe with anyone who would it be?
My fiancé of course, and I already have as we have mistletoe at home this year!
10. What tops your tree?
A lovely little angel. She has a red dress, gold ribbon, a halo, wings and long curly hair. We’ve had her at the top of the tree for as long as I can remember. I love her! My sister and I argue every year about who will be the one to put her on top of the tree… I usually win haha.
11. Can you name the 12 days of Christmas?
Aah! Yes I can, I think! I’ve been practising this by looking at ’12 days of Christmas’ Christmas cards, so as far as I can remember I know them all. Too many to recite here though, haha.
12. Have you ever gone Christmas caroling?
No, in all honesty I never have. I need to rectify this.
13. Do you countdown to Christmas? If so, how many days are left?
Yes I do! I have an advent calendar every year, although this year is special as I have three. A chocolate one at my fiancé’s house, a chocolate one at my house and my Ciaté Mini Mani Month. How spoilt am I?! Oh and there are 3 days left until Christmas, yay.
14. What are some foods and treats you can count on having every holiday season?
Well, in my family we have a VERY strange tradition (which I have been told is a Midlands thing), where we have pork pie, ham, bread and butter, pickles and tea for Christmas BREAKFAST. Weird, right? Being vegetarian I usually have Quorn ham instead of the meat though, and Quorn turkey roast for Christmas dinner instead of real turkey.
We always, always have After Eight Mints after dinner too, and a cheese board in the evening, and there are tins of Roses and Quality Street all over the house over the festive season.
15. How has Christmas kept its magic for you as you’ve grown older?
I’ve never really lost the magic, but I watch The Polar Express to give myself a top up! I still get excited about the big day, and I still get a little bit sad when people say that Santa isn’t real (HE IS REAL, DAMN IT!) Christmas is just such a lovely time of year.
I hope you enjoyed reading my Christmassy answers! I’m not going to tag anyone in particular because I’d love all of you to take part, so if you want to copy this tag, feel free!
Are you looking forward to Christmas this year?
Naomi x
Sally Hansen Diamond 12 Hr Lip Treatment in ‘Fancy’
11
6 years
by Naomi in Lips
A couple of months ago, during one of my bargain beauty binges, I picked up this tube of Sally Hansen Diamond 12 Hr Lip Treatment from the pound shop for, you guessed it, £1. However, as happens to quite a lot of the make up that I buy on impulse, I put it in my make up drawer and forgot about it. Until recently, that is.
What first drew me to this gloss was the fact that it was from Sally Hansen, as I love Sally’s nail products so thought I’d give her make up a go too. The tube doesn’t actually say what the Diamond 12 Hr Lip Treatment is supposed to do, but according to the internet it is intended to condition and moisturise the lips for up to 12 hours, and give them diamond-like shine!
The gloss comes in a fairly large tube, with a sparkly polka dot lid, which is cute. The applicator inside the tube is very different to what I was expecting, however. Instead of the typical sponge applicator, it comes with a tapered bristle brush. The brush is quite fine which I thought would make precise application a lot easier, but it is actually quite difficult to use. The bristles tend to fan out rather a lot, which makes a bit of a mess, and the gloss itself is horribly thick and gloopy, so it doesn’t smooth out very well. Having said that, the gloss does smell lovely, almost like cinnamon bubblegum, so I will give it that.
The colour I chose from the several available was ‘Fancy’, which in the light of the shop looked like a deep shimmery red, perfect for Autumn’s berry trend. Unfortunately, I was slightly disappointed with the colour when I first tried it, as it is a lot more orange in reality than it looks in the tube, and I’m not a fan of orange make up. The shade is slowly growing on me though, and the gloss does have incredible shine, and the diamond-like shimmer throughout it is really pretty.
On the lips, the gloss looks nice. The colour is strong and the shine is brilliant, but it’s not breathtaking. It’s just… nice. It’s not a comfortable gloss to wear either. As I said before, the formula is very thick, so it feels heavy and sticky on the lips, and though it feels quite moisturising, I always end up rubbing the gloss off within an hour, so I have no idea whether it actually lasts for 12 hours or not! It does make your lips tingle slightly though, which is fairly pleasant.
Overall, this definitely isn’t my favourite gloss in my collection, and I don’t think I’d buy another one like it from the Sally Hansen range, even at only £1. I noticed that the Diamond 12 Hr Lip Treatment glosses are no longer listed on the Sally Hansen website, so hopefully they’ve done the right thing and discontinued it, and replaced it with a better gloss. I think I’ll stick to Sally’s nail products from now on!
Naomi x
Exciting News from TanOrganic!
1Today I would like to share with you all some rather exciting news from my favourite self tanning company – TanOrganic. TanOrganic are a small Irish eco-friendly company who sell organic, natural self tanning products, including TanOrganic Sunless Tan and OilArganic Moisturising Oil, both of which I have reviewed and thoroughly enjoyed! TanOrganic are already established in eight countries, and today sees their launch in the UK!
As of today, TanOrganic is available to buy online from Debenham’s UK website, which is very good news for fans of fantastic self tanning. TanOrganic really stands out from all the other tanning ranges out there for many reasons… With its 100% natural formula, TanOrganic is environmentally friendly, kind on the skin, suitable for mums-to-be and, unlike most self tanners, smells lovely! They are also the ONLY Ecocertified organic tanning brand out there, and have been voted ‘Best Tan’ by the Irish Times, beating St Tropez!
TanOrganic looks really natural on the skin too, and can be built up gradually for an even-looking tan, rather than a hideous smother of bright orange. Check out my review to see photo evidence of how fab it looks. Grazie’s beauty editor, Annabel Jones, has said that this year’s tanning trend is ‘au-tan’, natural autumn tan, so TanOrganic can really help you look bang on trend this festive season.
Visit www.debenhams.co.uk today to get yourself some TanOrganic!
Naomi x
Ciate Mini Mani Month Round-Up: Part 3
6Hi everyone,
First off, I would like to wish my sister, Freya, a very Happy Birthday! Today she turns 21, an important age, but she’ll still always be my baby sister, wanting all my things. HAPPY BIRTHDAY FREYA!!
Now, down to business… Today I opened the door of Day 18 on my Ciate Mini Mani Month advent calendar, which means it’s time for another weekly round-up! This post will feature Day 13 up to Day 18, and I have swatches of all but one of the Paint Pots this time. I must admit, my feelings were mixed this week. There were a couple that I really liked, and one or two that I wasn’t keen on at all, but you can’t win them all as they say!
Day 13 – Glass Slipper and Day 14 – Speed Dial
On Day 13 I opened the door to Glass Slipper, a lovely blue glitter polish, and the first of the calendar’s three exclusive shades. The glitter is very fine and beautiful, and doesn’t feel too rough in texture, but it isn’t really dense enough to wear on its own (unless you’re willing to apply 3+ coats). It works perfectly as a top coat however, and is surprisingly easy to remove for a glitter.
Speed Dial is an unusual shade – it looks bright orange in the bottle, but I found it applies somewhere between a red and an orange. It is more orange in real life than it looks in the photo above though. I just can’t quite decide whether I like it or not! It definitely doesn’t look that good with Glass Slipper over the top, but with the right outfit I can see it working. Not one of my favourites, but not bad. It applied evenly and has a creamy formula at least!
Day 15 – Headliner
Headliner is my absolute favourite this week… I seem to have a thing for blues at the minute! It is a dark turquoise blue shade with a stunning creme finish and I love it! As you’d expect, the formula is great and, quite impressively, it only takes one coat to achieve a completely opaque finish (the photo above show two coats, however). Headliner got me a lot of compliments when I wore it, and without a doubt I’ll be wearing this one a lot!
Day 16 – Big Yellow Taxi
Ick, I’m not liking Big Yellow Taxi. I initially thought this looked okay as it appeared quite a creamy banana yellow in the bottle, but when I applied it I was soon disappointed. It has a really strange gloopy formula, so it went on very streaky, and no number of coats seemed to be able to even the finish out. The yellow shade is slightly too bright, and in all honestly it looks like tippex coloured in with yellow highlighter pen – not pretty! On the plus side, it doesn’t leave any stains behind at all. I don’t think I have the skin tone to pull this off, but it would probably look great against darker skin… I may use it for Batman nail art though!
Day 17 – Power Dressing
I haven’t tried Power Dressing yet so I can’t comment much on the formula and colour, but in the bottle it looks like a classic deep navy blue, and I imagine it will have a lovely shiny finish. I’m looking forward to using this!
Day 18 – Candy Shop Caviar Pearls
Candy Shop is the third out of four bottles of Caviar Pearls in the calendar, and so far they are my favourite. The beads are very small and coloured in three shades – turquoise blue, pink and orange. As with the other pearls that I have tried, these are very easy to apply (just pour over a wet nail, press down, and leave to set for 15 minutes), and look really striking against a bright varnish. The purple shade I chose to pair the pearls with is actually Cabaret, one of the shades I didn’t swatch in Part 1, so now you can see what it looks like.
So there you go, a mixed bag of mostly brights this week. Which is your favourite? Please vote below! Check back for Part 4 next Monday, on Christmas Eve, and if you want to see the previous shades in the Ciate Mini Mani Month, they are swatched in my Part 1 and Part 2 posts.
Naomi x
Superdrug Tea Tree Foaming Face Wash and Cleanser & Toner
1Hi everyone!
Firstly, allow me to apologise for being so elusive lately… I have been really quite busy with work and preparing for Christmas, so I haven’t had much time to blog. Friday was my last day at work until January, however, so I should have quite a few posts coming up over the next few weeks!
Today I will be reviewing two items from Superdrug’s Tea Tree range. Towards the end of summer (doesn’t it seem ages ago now??) I started to get some rather nasty breakouts on my face. I took those horrible red pimples as a sign to change my skin care routine, so I stopped using oily moisturisers and went out to look for some new facial products to try. Tea Tree oil is well-known for its use as treatment for acne, so I thought Tea Tree based products would be a good place to start. There were quite a few Tea Tree products out there, but I settled for Superdrug’s own brand for several reasons… 1) I’ve used Superdrug’s own brand of products before and they were pretty good, 2) They are affordable, and 3) Superdrug are animal friendly.
The two products I chose were the Tea Tree Foaming Face Wash, and the Tea Tree Cleanser & Toner, with the intention of using one in the morning and one at night. I can’t remember exactly how much they cost me, but I know they were on offer at the time and they are currently being sold at 2 for £3.99, so it must have been something around that mark. Individually, they cost £2.99 each.
Here are my thoughts on each product…
Tea Tree Foaming Face Wash (160ml)
Superdrug’s Foaming Face Wash is green liquid in the bottle, but as soon as you press the pump spray it expands into a creamy white foam. The above photo shows one pump of the face wash, which is plenty enough for one use, so as you can imagine one bottle lasts a very long time. The foam itself really is lovely and soft, and massages nicely into the skin (the instructions say to massage gently all over the face in small circles, which is what I do). I usually use it during my morning shower, and it is also easy to wash off.
The Tea Tree and Peppermint Oils in the wash feel amazing on the skin. After every use my skin feels SO clean, tingly and fresh, and the feeling lasts, but unlike some tea tree products it doesn’t sting. However, after a couple of weeks of use I found the face wash to be quite drying, as I was using it alongside some medicated gel which my GP prescribed – bad idea I know! I was starting to get sore, itchy patches on my skin which seemed to disappear when I stopped using it. As such, I now use this a lot less than I did when I first bought it (around once a week rather than once a day), which seems to be suiting me fine for now, but I may increase my use again now that I’ve stopped using the medicated gel.
It’s hard to tell whether this has helped my breakouts, but I am now clear of spots and I definitely noticed it reduced the angry redness of my skin when I first started using it. I like to use it on my neck, shoulders, back and chest as well to help prevent spots in those areas too. I’m not 100% sure I would repurchase this, but I’m glad that I tried it and it does give you a good clean.
Tea Tree Cleanser & Toner (200ml)
Like the Foaming Face Wash, Superdrug’s Tea Tree Cleanser & Toner looks green in the bottle, and that’s how it stays. To apply, I squeeze a generous amount of the liquid onto a cotton wool ball, and use it to remove my make up and cleanse my skin every evening before I go to bed. I have been using this every day for almost four months now, and as you can see in my photos, the bottle is still more than half full! That’s excellent value in my eyes.
As with the face wash, the oils used in the product feel fantastically refreshing on the skin, and the aloe vera extract it contains calms and soothes the skin after a long day. The cleanser does a brilliant job at removing all traces of make up and dirt too… You just have to look at the cotton wool ball after use for the evidence. It might look shocking, but at least you know it’s doing its job!
I haven’t had any trouble with this at all. It doesn’t make my skin feel sore or dry like some cleansers have in the past, rather, it is actually quite moisturising for what it is.
I like Superdrug’s Tea Tree Cleanser & Toner a lot more than their Foaming Face Wash, and it has officially replaced my previous cleanser. I will be repurchasing this when it runs out (which probably won’t be for a while!), and it is worth every penny.
You can view/buy the full Tea Tree range on Superdrug’s website here. Have you already tried anything from the range? What did you think of it?
Naomi x
Ciate Mini Mani Month Round-Up: Part 2
9Hi everyone,
Six days have already passed since my last Ciate Mini Mani Month post, can you believe it? The days are flying by and before we know it, it will soon be Christmas day! But for now, as promised, here is Part 2 of my Mini Mani Round-Up, featuring the surprises hidden behind advent calendar doors 7 to 12.
You may be pleased to know that I managed to swatch every single varnish this time, so you can get a more accurate feel for what each one is really like. As usual, they all have that deliciously creamy signature Ciate formula, which applies evenly, dries quickly and is extremely chip resistant. Here they all are in their bottles…
Day 7 – Cutie Pie
Cutie Pie is a pretty, feminine, powdery pale pink shade with a creme finish. I usually prefer bold, bright varnishes to pastels, but this one really is quite lovely and clean-looking. The above look was achieved using two coats of varnish and it’s still quite sheer, but I think three would be plenty enough for a more opaque appearance.
Day 8 – Vintage
Vintage is my favourite varnish from this week. It’s a deep grey colour, but it has a tinge of greeny blue to it which makes it more unusual than most greys. I got so many compliments about my nails on the day I wore this. I have a feeling I’ll be getting a lot of wear out of Vintage – it goes with anything!
Day 9 – Mistress
Mistress is a classic, very bright scarlet red, with a slight orange undertone and a high shine finish. I’m not the biggest fan of orange varnishes so I wasn’t too keen on this when I first saw it, but once I applied it I instantly changed my mind. I think shades like this can look a bit tacky sometimes, but because Ciate is such good quality, it actually looks really beautiful on. The only issue I have with this is that it stained my skin when I removed it! You can see evidence of the staining around my cuticles on the photo below…
Day 10 – Ladylike Luxe & Day 11 – Bumble Bee Caviar Pearls
Ladylike Luxe is a shimmery yellow gold shade, and it’s the best gold varnish I’ve ever tried. For some reason, gold and silver varnishes tend to show up any imperfections on your nails (no matter how small) and though this one isn’t perfect, it definitely disguises imperfections more than any other metal colour I’ve used. Overall this is a fab varnish – very Christmassy!
The Bumble Bee Caviar Pearls consist of two different coloured pearls – black and yellowy gold. I gave myself a ring finger mani with them yesterday, and as you can see it turned out rather well for a first attempt! The pearls were very easy to use… You just pour them over your wet nail, press them down and leave them to set for 15-20 minutes. I absolutely love how they look and feel, but they haven’t lasted very well. This morning when I woke up I noticed that the colour on the gold pearls had faded/rubbed off slightly, and after 24 hours a lot of the beads have already fallen off. I’m not sure how long they’re supposed to last, but I thought it’d be longer than a day!
Day 12 – Twilight
Last but not least, today’s varnish is Twilight – a black base with a gold fleck shimmer running through it, which also looks greeny brown depending on the light. I have a feeling this was intended to go with the Bumble Bee Caviar Pearls, and indeed it is a great match. A gorgeous, classy shade to round off the week.
Which one of this week’s minis is your favourite?
Don’t forget, you can read Part 1 of my Ciate Mini Mani Month Round-Up here. Check back next Tuesday for Part 3!
Naomi x
Omni Massage Roller & Sports Oil Gift Set
3Every week I end up carrying a lot of heavy things, almost every day… My work bag full of folders, my university bag full of books, my laptop bag, bags full of Avon brochures and products, and sometimes shopping bags. As you can imagine, and I’m sure a lot of you can relate to this, I get quite a lot of pain in my back and shoulders, and my muscles tend to get really tight and knotted. I try my best to balance the weight by using a backpack and suchlike, but it doesn’t always help. Though I’d love a professional sports massage at the end of each week to sort out my back and shoulder problems, that isn’t viable as I just can’t afford it! So, I have been on a mission to find at-home massage products which are easy to use and actually work, and organic and natural beauty boutique, Lucy Rose, kindly offered to send me an Omni Massage Gift Set to try out.
The Omni Massage Gift Set that I received retails for £18.99 on the Lucy Rose website, and contains an original Omni Massage Roller, and a 100ml bottle of Omni Sports Massage Oil. These come packaged in a plastic zip case, which is very handy for safe, clean storage. However, the rollers come in five different colours (grey, green, blue, purple and red) and can be purchased separately for £11.99 each, as can the four blends of massage oil (Original, Sports, Uplifting and Muscle), which cost £9.99 each. This means you can mix and match colours and scents to suit you, but there are also two other Gift Sets available (featuring the Original and Muscle oils, and corresponding colour massage rollers).
I chose the Sports Gift Set for two reasons – 1. I wanted an intense massage which would really do my muscles good, which I figured the Sports massage oil would help with, and 2. I love purple, and the visual appeal of a curvy, purple massage ball was too difficult to ignore. So, here’s what I think of Omni’s massage set…
Omni Massage Rollers are safe to use at home on your own, or with the help of another person. The ball inside the roller rolls in all (“omni”) directions, which makes for an excellent massage as it enables the movement and pressure needed to relax and relieve painful tensions in the muscles. It is apparently also used by professionals in the NHS (as well as in private practice), so it is a trusted therapeutic device.
The first time I used the roller I asked my mum to help me reach the tense areas on my back, and even though she used it over my clothing I was amazed that the roller was sensitive enough to pick out all the knots in my muscles. We could both feel them ‘crunching’, which sounds horrible but it meant she knew which areas to focus on. The shape and movement of the ball means that any focused pressure is distributed outwards slightly, so the knots can be worked out without any pain or discomfort. In fact, it is so painless it almost tickles!
The roller can also be used to ease any tension or stress in smaller areas, such as the fingers, hands or elbows. My job as an Academic Support Worker involves taking a LOT of notes for students who aren’t able to take their own notes, so I tend to get some aching and cramping in my hands and arms. I have been using the roller to gently massage these areas, and it really does help to relax my hands after a long day of hard work. I have also noticed that, due to the shape of the roller and the rubber band around the edge, it is very easy to grip and control.
I haven’t yet tried any hot or cold therapies with the Omni Massage Roller, but according to Lucy Rose’s description of the product, it can be placed in the fridge or in hot water to alter the temperature of the ball, and it can also be used in water without getting damaged. Sounds incredibly relaxing to me!
Omni Sports Massage Oil is very strongly scented of Juniper Berry, Black Pepper and Rosemary, and it really does smell beautiful. When I first opened the bottle I couldn’t put it down and kept smelling the oil! It is well-known that Black Pepper is regularly used in sports massage as it helps to tone muscles, and you can tell this oil has been carefully blended to “aid relaxation” and “promote fast recovery after exercise”.
The oil itself has a pale yellow tinge to it, and it is quite runny. It can be massaged directly into the skin by hand, or you can add a few drops to the roller (there’s a hole in the bottle of the roller to pour it in), and it comes out in a controlled manner as the ball rolls.
When on the skin, the oil helps the Massage Roller move more smoothly over the surface of the skin, and it warms up slightly too which is deeply relaxing. I was slightly worried that the oil would be overly greasy and make a mess of my clothes/bed sheets, but it is actually easily absorbed and intensely moisturising, so it can slot in to your skin care routine nicely without any trouble!
I have been using the Omni Gift Set every other day for a week now, and I have already noticed a big improvement in my muscles. They definitely feel less tense, and whenever it is used on my back I can tell the knots are disappearing. I can now write for a lot longer without getting cramps too, which is a brilliant benefit for my job. Overall, Omni Massage Roller and Sports Massage Oil are the perfect combination for a relaxing, pain-free at-home massage which actually works. I am hugely impressed, and am so, so pleased that I have discovered a genuine alternative to expensive professional massages.
The Omni Massage Roller & Sports Oil Gift Set is available here from Lucy Rose, for just £18.99 – a lot less than what you’d pay for a professional massage, and you can re-use it too! It’d also make a great, affordable Christmas gift for people of all ages, I reckon. Lucy Rose offer free UK postage and free samples with every order, and you can even save loyalty points if you buy from their online boutique regularly, so you can enjoy those perks too if you buy from them!
Do you like the sound of the Omni Massage Roller and Oil?
Naomi x
*The Omni Massage Roller and Sports Oil Gift Set was sent to me by Lucy Rose for review purposes. All thoughts and opinions expressed are honest and my own*.
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