NOTW: Fall Midas Gold

Hi all! I just woke up a couple of hours ago after getting home from my night duty.  The day really feels like crap today as it has rained all night/morning and we still didn't get some sunshine :( Anyways, I hope the weather is much better where you live :)  

This week, I have decided to shape my nails in a round form to see how they would look on me.  I still prefer the square shape on me but round nails don't look bad either; what do you think?  I have also been wearing autumnal colours on my nails but I still wanted my nails not to look too dark so I opted for a sheer gold base and some abstract designs with a dark brown polish.  Read on to see how you can do this design yourselves!

1. Start with a base coat and follow with two coats of a sheer gold polish.  Here I used Midas by Me Me Me.

2. Next, by means of a detailing brush and a dark brown polish, I drew abstract designs on each nail.  You can let your creativity loose here! I used e.l.f. Chocolate.

3. Finish off with a top coat and you're done!

Review: Montagne Jeunesse Hot Chocolate Sauna Masque

This week is National Chocolate Week (10th - 16th October) in the UK and while we all know that chocolate is the yummy comfort food a lot of people revert to when feeling down or simply when we need a boost in our moods, we also know that unfortunately, it can expand our waistlines :(

Today, thanks to Montagne Jeunesse, we can enjoy chocolate without the guilt with their Hot Chocolate Sauna Masque!  I was asked to review this chocolatey masque and being a chocoholic, I jumped at the occasion!  In fact, I have just taken the mask off my face my skin feels as smooth as ever and smells so yummy lol!  The fact that this mask, (like all other products in the MJ range) is not tested on animals and is made out of natural ingredients, makes it all more worthwhile to use! It is also suitable for vegetarians. 

Let me get started on this rave review then!  First, off the packaging, which as usual, manages to convey the right image of the product.  You get 15g of product so you can use the mask more than once.  The smell instantly takes you to chocolate heaven and the citrussy, orange touch conveys a feeling of freshness... the perfect at-home spa feeling!

The texture of this mask is very smooth indeed and feels like spreading some luxurious Belgian chocolate-orange on your face!  It instantly heats up on contact with the skin to open up pores and deep clean your face.  In fact, my skin looks brighter and cleaner after rinsing off the mask and it feels very smooth!  The main ingredients in this mask contribute to one healthy treat! Have a look at this; dark melted chocolate banishes impurities with its powerful anti-oxidants, while Mediterranean Clay gets rid of dirt and oils from deep within the pores. Zesty Orange Oil bursting with Vitamin C will leave skin feeling revitalised and refreshed. And that’s not all! Cocoa butter soothes and nourishes while the Vanilla protects against free radicals.

Speaking of rinsing this mask off, since it is quite rich in texture and dark in colour, it takes some more time to take it all off.  However, the fact that it doesn't dry, makes it easier to take off.

All in all, this is one of the best chocolate based masks from Montagne Jeunesse and I already have another sachet of it in my skin care drawer to make sure I don't run out of it any time soon! I recommend this mask to anyone who wants a deep clean, chocoholics who want to enjoy chocolate without the guilt and everyone else who loves a good cruelty-free and natural face mask!

Residents in the UK can get MJ products from Asda, Morrisons and online at www.montagnejeunesse.com.  My Maltese readers can get these face masques from New Look and some supermarkets across the island.

How will you celebrate National Chocolate Week?

Sigma Launch New Sigmax Brushes!!

Good morning dolls :) I have some fantastic news today! Sigma have launched 5 totally new Sigmax HD brushes!!!  What's all the fuss about you say? Basically, it's the brushes' filaments which were specifically created to apply powder, cream and liquid products without absorbing the same product into the bristles!

Originally, the Sigmax Face Kit consisted of 3 brushes, namely the F80, F82 & F84.  Now you get an additional 5! The F86, the P80, P82, P84 & P86.  The F86 is the same size as the original ones while the latter 4, make up the Synthetic Precision Kit and are smaller in size which makes them perfect for concealing and applying make-up to smaller areas.  Let's have a look at these new brushes shall we?

The F86

With its tapered design, the F86 is perfect for application of liquid, cream and powder products to precise areas on the face. The F86 is also an ideal contouring brush. It applies the perfect amount of product to the right areas for that flawless, sculpted look that every woman desires. This brush is revolutionary to the beauty industry and very unique in quality and design. It is the perfect addition to any makeup kit. The F86 will be sold individually for $16 or as part of the Synthetic Kabuki Kit (F80, F82, F84 and F86) sold for $56.

The Synthetic Precision Kit

The new Synthetic Precision Kit contains the P80, P82, P84 and P86. The P80 is a small, flat top brush that is ideal to conceal blemishes, sun spots and small imperfections on the skin. It can be used to stipple concealer on defined areas, followed by precise application of setting powder. The rounded P82 brush was designed to mimic your fingertips, making this brush ideal to apply eye shadow primers. It can also be used for the precise application of highlight shades on the bridge of the nose, cheek bones and cupid’s bow. The small angled top of the P84 makes this brush perfect for precise contouring of the sides of the nose and contouring the hollows of the cheek bones. It can also be used to highlight the brow bone. Lastly, the unique tapered shape of the P86 brush is ideal for application of concealer under the eyes and in defined areas such as the sides of the nose, chin and around the mouth. This brush can also be used to perfectly apply concealer around the lips to prevent color bleeding. Each of these brushes will be sold individually for $14 or as the Synthetic Precision Kit (P80, P82, P84 and P86) for $49.

If you want to try out all of the synthetic must haves, the Synthetic Essential Kit is for you! This collection contains all eight face brushes specifically designed for a high definition, flawless makeup application. The shape, density and height of each brush were designed to complement the different areas and shapes of the face. The Synthetic Essential Kit has everything you need to achieve a perfect and flawless look! It is now available on the Sigma website for $99.

NOTW: Birthday Manicure... Fall Inspired

Good morning ladies :) As some of you may know, last Friday was my 22nd birthday but since I was on night duty, I celebrated my birthday properly on Saturday evening.  While I had some time to myself, I decided to do a more elaborate manicure for my birthday with fall colours.  I went for the ever classy French manicure and I experimented with 3D acrylic flowers.  This manicure took me like 30 minutes to do (including polish drying times).  If you're interested how you can recreate this manicure yourselves, read on for the tutorial!

1. Start with a base coat and apply a light coat of a nude polish like Essie Vanity Fairest.

2. Once dry, paint on a French tip in the colour of your choice.  I layered China Glaze Awakening over e.l.f. Rosy Raisin for a fall duochrome colour.

3. Leave to dry completely and apply some clear polish in a diagonal manner over the tip of the ring fingers.  With a dotting tool, place some ice mylar flakes in a colour that matches your tip colour over the clear polish.  Leave to dry and apply some top coat to seal in the flakes.  You can apply top coat over the other nails as well at this stage  and leave them to dry thoroughly before proceeding.

4. Shape a 5 petalled acrylic flower on the ring fingers (I had posted a tutorial on acrylic flowers here) and add some buillon beads in the middle.  Apply another three buillon beads at the side of the flower and leave everything to dry thoroughly.

5. Apply a top-coat and you're done!

No Nonsense Natural Grooming for Men by Montagne Jeunesse {Part 2}

Good morning ladies! Continuing from Part 1 of the review about the 5 new products for male grooming from Montage Jeunesse, here are the reviews on the last two products in the range which I tested out myself as I have been quite prone to zits lately thanks to the air conditioning at work (it dries out my skin no matter how much water I drink and to compensate, my skin produces more oil, leaving me with zits!)  Anyways, I also tried the Eye Rescue gel patches for my dark under-eye circles.

• Eye Rescue

Too many late nights? Eyes are always the give away, so use our mineral rich sea algae Eye Rescue to get rid of puffiness & tell tale dark circles... (We won’t tell if you don’t!).

These eye patches are the most interesting of the bunch and I have to admit I was quite curious as to how they present themselves.  Basically, you get two light blue coloured gel patches that fit under the eye area and they are packed in a small plastic case in protective covering against each other.  They feel very moist to the touch and are very soft.  Once you peel off the protective backing, all that's left to do is just adhere them to your under-eye area and relax for 10 minutes.  To get the maximum benefits a further help de-puffing, pop these in the refrigerator before use... they double up as a refreshing treat!  To be honest I didn't notice any reduction in dark circles until the next morning, when the skin under my eyes looked more like the colour of how skin should be! However, I did notice an immediate de-puffing of the area.  The gel pads feel very refreshing and should I see them in shops locally, I would definitely stock up on some!  The main ingredients in these patches include:
1. Red Algae, to increase skin firmness and soften lines and wrinkles
2. Sea Kelp, to hydrate and oxygenate
3. Dead Sea Salt, to soothe and heal
The image below shows the gel pads in their packaging:

• Zap Them Peel-Off

Spot of bother? No worries... our peel off mask with Ginger extracts will lift away dirt & grime for cleaner, clearer skin.  Practice your pulling power!

The smell of this masque didn't really remind of ginger but it is still fresh-smelling (maybe because it contains rosemary).  Unlike the picture on the pack, its colour is a transparent light green and it applies quite smoothly but due to its gel texture, it may feel sticky at first.  I was going to remove this mask after only a few seconds of applying it as my skin was burning! However, when I looked in the mirror, I didn't see any red patches so I decided to leave it on and remove it should the burning sensation get worse but it subsided after a couple of minutes and I'm so glad I didn't take it off!! Before peeling off the masque, (the fun part) I noticed that the mask itself tuned a bit bumpy around my nose. I soon could see why... it lifted off most blackheads from that area leaving me with clear and clean skin! My face felt really squeaky clean after using this masque and the zits have almost cleared all out now so I definitely recommend this to anyone with skin prone to breakouts!  The ginger in this mask helps tone and firm the skin's appearance while rosemary calms outbreaks to leave you with fresh and flawless skin!

So that's it ladies! Try and give these products a shot with your man and see what they have to say about them... they are bound to change their opinion about having to deep clean their skin once a week!

You can get these masks from Asda and Morrisons nation wide in the UK as well as on www.montagnejeunesse.com.  The masks retail for £1.29 RRP and the eye patches for £1.99 RRP.