Aloha Lola Cards Illustrations

Aloha Lola Cards

I have had such a good day today, I was scrolling through twitter checking out multiple different blogs and tweets when I saw the cutest little sketches by Aloha Lola Cards. They were so cute that I had to go investigate; after a few retweets and interactions they made me into an illustration.

How amazingly talented are they I absolutely love it, I sent a photo of me at Disney hence the ears and rain Mac. It is currently my display picture on twitter if you want one check out their etsy page https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/AlohaLolaCards or on twitter as @AlohaLolaCards they are so reasonably priced that I am buying a few for Christmas presents.

I was not paid to advertise this lovely page I just genuinely adore the sketch she made me that I needed to let you all know about her.

Nicola xx

Super Dry Wayfarer Sunglasses & Max Factor Sheer Gloss Balm – Red Garnet

Super Dry Wayfarer Sunglasses & Max Factor Sheer Gloss Balm – Red Garnet

After a night of getting up every 20 minutes to resettle a 9 month old and a 3 year old who both have colds I look like one of the walking dead. However as a busy mum I don’t get the time to rest up and not leave the house so here is my solution for a sleep deprived mum.

Super Dry Wayfarer Metallic Purple

With these super reflective metallic sunglasses you don’t need to worry about putting eye makeup on those tired aggravated eyes just hide them and the world doesn’t need to know. I love these shape sunglasses I feel they are more flattering than round frames and suit more face shapes than traditional styles. They are also UV category 3, your eyes are the most sensitive part of your body and the thinnest skin so you need to protect them with everything you can.

I team up the sunglasses with a bright lip to give my face a bit of colour after a long night. In this instance I used:

Max Factor Sheer Gloss Balm – Red Garnet

This is softer to apply than a lipstick but not sticky like a traditional gloss or lip balm, on a day where energy levels are low I don’t need to be worrying about reapplying and having to deal with sticky lips and this balm is perfect. The colour lasted 2 hours and the pigment was sheer allowing it to look like a better version of my lips, you can also layer this up to get a stronger colour. As I pointed out earlier the thinnest skin you have is around your eyes and it is closely followed by the skin around your mouth so it also needs protecting. This balm is also an SPF 10 which doesn’t sound a lot but every little helps in this case I found that this balm left my lips feeling moisturised for hours after the colour faded which is great in these colder months.

Overall I would recommend this gloss balm for a fuss free colour that isn’t sticky would definitely buy other shades. 

Bye For Now

Nicola

xxx

Ciate - Mistress

Ciaté – Mistress

I am a sucker for packaging and so far Ciaté has the best packaging within the nail industry. Her use of watercolour inspired graphics and eccentric English scenes drew me in instantly, enticing me into the colourful world of Ciaté.

The first set I have brought from Ciaté is called ‘Nail Taxi’ it is made up of three colours, metallic grey, red and a glitter black, the packaging of this set is great it is a sleeved box with the image of a London taxi with the three nail varnishes visible behind Perspex windows; set back from the taxi is a red phone box, tree and building creating the image of a London street.

I am going to review each of the three colours in separate reviews so that each colour can be looked at as an individual. First off I am going to look at ‘Mistress’ a beautiful British letter box red, in the curved bow topped bottle the colour looks smooth and silky. As I took the lid off the first thing I noticed was the length of the handle it is longer than any other nail varnish I have ever used; this creates a sturdy line to lean on whilst applying the colour. Secondly I noticed the thickness of the brush, I am a huge fan of Leighton Denny whose brush is thinner and splays out allowing you to do your nail in three even strokes to get full coverage; now the Ciaté brush is thicker and filled my nail in one to one and a half strokes at first this was hard to adjust too. The only way to describe it is trying to go from a fountain pen to a board marker and trying to write in a birthday card, once I got use to the thicker brush the speed in which I finished my nails was amazing it allowed me to do a full manicure in less than 10 minutes (not including a little clean up).

The colour is beautiful and I must admit I am more impressed than I thought I would be, it is a sophisticated red that has no shimmer or glitter but stands on its own as a bold, bright colour. One thing I am not sure on is the solidness of the finished colour, I don’t know if it is this colour or is a generic point of all Ciaté colours but it is slightly transparent not noticeable from a distance or at first glance but on closer inspection you can slightly see through it and that is after three coats.

Another huge plus point of this nail varnish was the speed in which it dried, by the time I had gone from little finger to thumb my little finger had dried. It also seems smudge proof which I have never had from a nail varnish brand even after they have been touch dry.

Overall I really enjoyed using Ciaté and the new style brush, the colour is beautiful and the speed in which I could have a fully dried manicure is amazing. I will definitely be buying other sets by this brand or individual colours. Keep a look out for my review on the other two colours from this same set coming soon.

Bye for now

Nicola

xx

Elemis - Pro Radiance Cream Cleanser Special Edition

Elemis – Pro Radiance Cream Cleanser Special Edition

I am the worse at removing my make up and cleansing my skin but this year I have vowed to look after my skin properly and prevent aging as much as possible. I use to use baby wipes to remove my make up; I know a shocking skin disaster that stripped my delicate skin everyday but I carried on anyway.

Elemis tag line ‘Defined by nature led by science’ is one that appealed to me; with the promise of luxurious deep cleansing with aromatics of the Mediterranean was too hard to resist. Now as a wipe girl I found cleansing to be daunting and using a cream direct on to my dry face was a baffling one to start with and I was so tempted to wet my face first but resisted and followed the instructions. Much to my surprise it didn’t drag on my skin but went on like a luxury cream that I massaged all over my face (I didn’t use on my eyes I used Floracil to remove eye make up) concentrating on my deeper more open pores around my nose and chin. I left on my skin for a few minutes and used a warm muslin cloth to remove everything including a full face of make up and build up on my skin.

I have been using this cream cleanser for almost a month now and I have to say that it has really helped to close my open pores and I have had no issues with spots or dry skin patches since I started using it. The only thing I am not overly keen on is the fragrance, I don’t feel it adds anything to the product I don’t know what the original smells like but I hope when I buy it that it does not have any fragrance. The packaging is a simple white tube that doesn’t feel very luxurious but the silver details and graphics give it a slightly more expensive feel.

Overall I would recommend this product as it does what it says in a decadent way.

Bye For Now

Nicola

I Love... Coconut & Cream Body Butter

I Love… Coconut & Cream Body Butter

 
On first appearances the packaging is very simple with a clear large base and simple black lid. All brand info and logo is on a large sticker on top of the lid; the logo of a heart made of hearts is very simple but effective, however the sticker isn’t central on the lid and it is one of those things that really bugs me. You do however get a lot for your money, the pot I have is 200ml which for any body product is a great size.

As soon as you un-wrap the plastic seal around the base and lid you can instantly smell the delicious aroma that is concealed within the pot. The consistency of the body butter is a luxuriously thick cream that is easily absorbed when applying. The texture is so smooth and enjoyable to apply that you want to keep adding more and more. Once on my skin it felt moisturised through out the day and the aroma of coconuts stayed on my skin for hours; it also left a lovely sheen on my skin.

I highly recommend this product and will happily by from this brand again; my only advice I would give is make sure you like the smell of it before you apply as the fragrance does not budge.

Bye For Now

Nicola

Barry M - Mono Eye-Shadow 3 Tan

Barry M – mono eye-shadow 3 tan

This is my first try of Barry M eye-shadows and I have to say I am a true convert to the brand. I used Barry M a few years ago as a teenager and in my mind that was all they were a brand for trialling make up so I left it in my past but trying a few products lately has made me regret that decision.

This eye-shadow is a beautiful everyday colour; I would describe it as a muted metallic. It is a neutral tan that has a reflective gold quality that doesn’t dominate your face of make up but gives a subtle shimmer to your eyes. I absolutely love it and have worn it everyday for the last week as it is so wearable and lasts all day.

Packaging is also great, black base with a clear top allowing you to see the colour of each eye-shadow without opening all your pots. The clear top has a cheetah style print in silver printed around the edge as a frame to simple font and logo.

Overall I would highly recommend this eye-shadow and the whole range of Barry M make up as it is of great quality that wears well and is great value. Also top tip muted metallic’s is going to be a huge trend in spring/ summer 2015.  

Bye For Now

Nicola

Leighton Denny - So LA & Angel Effects

Leighton Denny – So LA & Angel Effect

Its funny how certain nail colours take you straight back to moments in time, in my life I have had 3 moments that will always stay with me. One is my wedding day and the other two are the birth of my kids I can tell you my nail colour on each of these events. At the birth of my kids I wore Leighton Denny’s So LA on my fingers and it always makes me smile when I wear it.

So LA is a beautifully bright pink that lightens up any day, I call it my happy day nails as you can’t not be happy with this glossy beauty on my fingers. I wanted a slightly different take on one of my favourites so I added Angel Effect tips on my fingers and an all over coat on my thumbs as the nails aren’t quite long enough to have tips on them.

Angel effect is unlike any other top coat I have used the pieces of metallic glitter vary in shapes from strips to triangles; the pieces themselves are an iridescent green/ orange to them. It reminds me of the back of a CD which is reflective and almost mirror like. It is a great way of extending any colour as if you do what I did and apply on the tips it hides any chipped areas.

Bye For Now

Nicola