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Posts tagged Won
Bad Apple Cosmetics Nail Varnish
13
8 years
by Naomi in Nails
A few weeks ago I entered a competition on Twitter to win some Bad Apple Cosmetics nail varnishes from The Lady Boys of Bangkok, and I was lucky enough to be chosen as one of their winners. The prize I received consisted of three nail varnish shades from the Bad Apple range, and they are all absolutely gorgeous – thanks @TheLadyBoys!
Before entering the competition I had never heard of Bad Apple Cosmetics, but according to their Twitter account their products are all made in England and free from nasty chemicals, and they are apparently the first site in the world who will put any picture you send them onto nail wraps!
Since receiving my prize I have tried and tested all three varnishes, and I must say I am rather impressed. When I first saw them I immediately liked the little apple-shaped bottles, and the Bad Apple logo is pretty cool too. Each varnish comes with a wide brush which is easy to grip due to the large lid, which means it applies smoothly without any streaks. The varnish itself has a creamy consistency, but it is fairly sheer so two or three coats are needed for a completely opaque look. It also dries to the touch very quickly, within a minute or two, so you can create a beautiful smudge-free manicure in no time at all.
One of my favourite things about Bad Apple’s varnishes is that they last a very long time. I didn’t apply a top coat over any of the shades, and I wore each one for around four days before removing it, and signs of wear were minimal. At the worst I had a small chip on one or two nails, and that was all.
Here’s a closer look at each varnish… (Excuse the short nails – they were all breaking so I decided to cut them off and start again!)
Misty
Misty is a stunning dark slate grey which has an intense glossy shine. It’s a very unusual grey due to its azure undertone, but it’s really versatile as it’s neutral enough to go with anything.
Anna
Anna is a bright bubblegum pink with a shiny creme finish. This is my favourite of the three shades and the one I will wear the most, I imagine. I love how pretty and girly it is.
Akane
True to its name, Akane is a brilliant red, which has a Gothic feel to it due to its deep colouring, and like the other two varnishes it also has a lovely shine. This is a classic varnish which is perfect for a glamorous evening look. Simply beautiful.
Bad Apple’s varnishes cost £9.95 each, which considering their quality is well worth it and I’d be happy to pay that for them. In fact, I hope to add to my collection in the not too distant future! You can view the full range of Bad Apple products here, and you can also follow the company on Twitter.
Which of these shades do you like best?
Naomi x
TanOrganic TryMe Set Giveaway WINNERS
3
8 years
by Naomi in Giveaways
The time has come for me to announce the THREE lucky winners of my TanOrganic TryMe Set Giveaway, which closed last night. The winners will each receive a a 30ml bottle of TanOrganic Sunless Tan, a 30ml bottle of OilArganic multi-use body oil and a Self Tanning Mitt, worth a total of almost €22 (£18/$29)!
And the winners are…
makeupmad
Clair Green
and…
Karen C.
Congratulations ladies! Please email me at with your name and address, and I will get your prizes posted out to you as soon as possible.
Thank you very much to everyone who entered, and thank you too to TanOrganic who donated the prizes. Please check back soon for another exciting giveaway!
Naomi x
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
I won a Strawberry Shortcake by Kirsten Necklace!
3
9 years
by Naomi in Fashion
A few weeks ago I entered the lovely Emiko Vaughn‘s giveaway to win an absolutely stunning necklace. I have a thing for big statement pieces of jewellery, especially necklaces, so I was so happy when I was contacted to say that I had won the prize! After a very short wait of less than a week (I can’t believe USA to UK post travels quicker than UK to UK post), the necklace arrived yesterday, and here it is! Thank you Emiko (and Kirsten), I love it 😀
The necklace is part of a handmade jewellery collection by Emiko’s friend – Strawberry Shortcake by Kirsten, and I am absolutely thrilled with it! It’s a bold piece, but it’s also cute and elegant, and very well made. Strawberry Shortcake is located in Cleveland, Ohio and, as her Facebook description says, she uses ‘Old and new materials…to make unique earrings, necklaces, and bracelets’. If you want to see some individual and interesting Strawberry Shortcake pieces for yourself then you can find them on the Strawberry Shortcake Facebook page.
Here are some more photos of my gorgeous prize!
Isn’t it pretty?
Naomi x
PS. Don’t forget to ‘Like’ Bewitchery, Strawberry Shortcake and Emiko Vaughn on Facebook!
