January Collective Haul

I have started the 2013 on a positive note (for my wallet at least) as I didn't really buy a lot of stuff this month. I know this sounds strange but yeah I'm not that much of a sales person. Don't get me wrong here...I do love a good bargain but I hate having to rummage through rails of carelessly put clothes only to find my size is sold out so January isn't really a good month for me to shop.

I did manage to get some accessories off the River Island online sale. Since it was my first time, I decided to just buy a few accessories and see how it goes. I'm pretty pleased that all mu purchases arrived safe and sound in just over a week and I will definitely be ordering again soon! I got this geometric clutch bag which in my opinion is quite unique yet elegant at the same time and it was down to only £10. I also bought this gold cross bracelet for £3 (I think) and this hand of Hamsa ear-cuff which if I'm not mistaken cost just £1.50. I also treated myself to this cute pair of hair clips from Accessorize which were €8.90 for both.

From ebay I bought two sable Kolinsky brushes for €10.31 and I got a size 0 and a size 1.  The reason they are a little more expensive is because they are made out of natural hair. I am planning to do a nail art tools post soon and I will be going through the different brushes you can find on the market so stay tuned for more details! The nail polish is a gift from my aunt and it's my first ever Sinful Colors polish and the shade is 395 Folly which is a bright pink creme.

Lastly, I bought a back-up of Effaclar Mat moisturizer (€12.14) and I have dropped my guns and decided to try the budget-friendly cosmetic brand MUA or Make Up Academy. They were having a 50% off sale and free sipping code in celebration of their facebook page reaching 50,000 likes. However, the minimum spend was £30 and I really don't need any more make-up so I just skipped the offer and ordered two Lip Booms and a Brow Kit that totalled €17.91 shipping fees included. The Lip Boom shades are It's A Situation and LMK (Let Me Know).

Monthly Favourites | January

Favourites time again! Catrice has definitely been my most favourite brand this month especially where eye products are concerned...all 4 are from the budget-friendly brand.  Again, Glamour Doll & Mini Max mascaras have made to this month's favourites. They are seriously the best volumizing mascaras I have ever tried and when paired together they give a fantastic fanned-out appearance to the lashes. 5 stars to both!

The eye pencils are both brown and they offer a very good alternative to black especially for neutral smoky eye or day make-up. With regards staying power I much prefer the Long Lasting Eye Liner Pen in 070 Puddle Of Mudd as it lasts for hours on end.  However both glide on effortlessly and I like the smudger end of the Kajal Designer in 150 Up&Brown&Up&Brown... as well as the shade which is quite a unique shade and one I don't see often in eye pencils.

Moving on to lip products, I have been using Mac Lustre Lipstick in Naked Paris and Rimmel Lasting Finish Lipstick in 206 Nude Pink both for day and night which complement any make-up look.  I would then pair Liptini Lip Liqueur Lip & Cheek Stain in 4013 Pink Lady with E.L.F. Studio Glitter Gloss in Sparkling Wine when I want a statement lip.

Finally to keep my lips free from flakes an protect them against the cold, I favoured E.L.F. Studio Lip Exfoliator, Bioderma Atoderm Levres and Essence Kiss Care Love Lip Balm in 03 Fruitylicious when I want a sheer tint.

As for face products, my favourites were Napoleon Perdis Ultimate Contour Palette which needs no introduction here and Catrice Defining Blush in 060 Rosewood Forest which brings winter cheeks to life! 

Lastly, I have been wearing this River Island gold cross bracelet almost everyday since I received it. 

What were your favourites for the first month of 2013?

The Exit Interview Series | Volume #16

Although this month I haven't managed to use up any body lotions as is my plan this year, I still have used up a few products.

Starting with skin care, I have been trying out some face masks and the ones I actually finished (and enjoyed using for that matter) are L'Action Detoxifying Face Mask and Mudd Sea Mask. Both masks are very effective at unclogging pores and revealing a brighter complexion but with regards value for money, the one from L'Action is definitely better as it costs €2.10 and I managed 4 applications whilst with the other, there is only enough product for 1 application and it costs €1.56. I have also made my way through another tube of Effaclar Mat moisturizer and yes, I have already bought a back-up. The same holds true for the Lycia Facial Wipes.

This month has seen me use up another bottle of Orly Nailtrition and I have also bought a back-up for it already because I cannot imagine how my nails would be without it. Another nail product I have finished is the Essence Gel Look Top Coat. I had some issues with this top coat as it would bubble when it dries. Then I figured out that for it not to bubble, the nail polish underneath has to be completely dry. I have another bottle of this but once I finish it, I don't think I will be buying it again.

I have also finished another two Essence products, namely the Stay Natural Concealer and the Nail Hardening Nail Polish Remover (Strawberry & Passion Fruit). You all know how much I love both of these products but when it comes to the remover, I bought the blue one instead simply because it carries a cheaper price tag.

Lastly here are two perfume samples, namely B.U. Heartbeat and Narciso Rodriguez Essence. They are both very girly and seductive scents and it's a good thing I have more of each. The only reason why I won't be buying them for now is that I have way too much perfumes to go through!

Review | Born Pretty Store BK Nail Polish Remover Gel #6 Mint

Nail polish remover...GEL...sounds curious right? Indeed that is what intrigued me to give this product a try and subsequently share my thoughts with you when Born Pretty Store offered me another chance to review more of their products. 

It is easy to infer that the polish remover comes in the form of a gel instead of the usual liquid we are more accustomed to and it is supplied in a small plastic tube that holds 35ml of product. It comes with a screw-off cap and has a minute nozzle through which the gel oozes out.  The remover has a very pleasant and fresh minty scent as opposed to conventional nail polish removers and although transparent, it has a very light green tinge.

 

What you do is simply squeeze an adequate amount of gel on your polished nails and wait for a minute or two until the polish is dissolved (the gel will turn milky), then proceed to wipe everything off with a tissue or cotton disc.  I find it is similar to the foil removal metod with less resources and you won't be left with cotton threads on your nails.

 

Right hand with polish, left hand after 1 application of the gel polish remover
(approx. 1 minute wait)

However, I find that I still have to go over my nails with some liquid polish remover to remove the left over traces of polish. That said, I still do the same with conventional polish removers especially when taking off a darker polish. The gel leaves the nails thoroughly moisturized and it doesn't leave any tell-tale white residue on the nails as some other removers do.

In my opinion, this remover gel is best when used with light-coloured polishes and glitter polish as once dissolved you just wipe the polish away. Darker polishes take more product to be completely removed. The same holds true for gel top coats.

Overall, I like the concept of this innovative product and I think I would buy it again, if only for the fact that it takes the hassle out of removing glitter nail polish.

BK Nail Polish Remover Gel is available in 6 different scents on www.bornprettystore.com and retails for $3.80 a pop. Get yours at 10% off with discount code EBABK31 at checkout.

PR Sample

Designer Nails thanks to Born Pretty Store Gold Nail Decals

As a nail technician, I am very fond of hand painted nail art but certain designs are usually a little hard to accomplish on such a small area. A case in point are certain designer logos and detailed works such as butterflies. In such instances, I like to resort to nail decals and with such a wide variety available, you are bound to find what you are looking for.

Born Pretty Store have recently introduced a set of 12 different gold decals to their nail art embellishments section. You get a small rhinestone wheel with designs ranging from desiger logos to flower and butterflies, hearts and snowflakes, as well as Hello Kitty motifs.

There are 10 pieces of each motif, hence a total of 120 pieces and all are gold in colour. Unlike most metallic embellishments, I am very pleased with these as the gold colour is retained when you apply top coat on them.

The decals lasted for a whole 5 days on my nails and they are easily embedded with top coat. All of these decals are suitable for use with gel nails, acrylic nails and also on natural nails and can be used by professional nail techs as well as amateur nail art enthusiasts.
 

Get yours at 10% off instead of the usual $2.99 by entering the code EBABK31 at checkout on www.bornprettystore.com

PR Sample