Holy Grail: Nail care products

I am an absolute nail polish junkie/hoarder/addict/lover - call me what you want. I know my weaknesses and I really can't help it! It's been a long process to find my basic loves for a remover, top coat and base coat.

The newest to this HG list is the Nails Inc Express Nail Polish Remover… think a miracle in a little tub, your best travelling friend, no-fuss off in less than 5 seconds nail polish remover. Bonus… it's acetone free and smells absolutely amazing also leaves your nail beds and cuticles nourished. Best £6.95 spent in the longest time. I get mine from look fantastic.

Now you can tell me how bad Seche Vite is for your health, but it is seriously the glossiest, fast-drying top coat out there. It is amazing. A lot of people complain about it becoming gloopey half way through the bottle, I didn't find this so. My tip: just tighten the top properly every time and you shouldn't have that problem. One bottle lasts me absolutely ages - even with my once or twice a week manicures and pedicures it has lasted 7 months. Amaaaaazzing!

OPI Nail Envy… this is still my first bottle from 8 months ago and I haven't even hit half way. I use it both on my toes and fingers have I have seen a complete improvement with the strength and health of my nails. I don't get discolouration as much as I used to. The story behind this product was that I began using it after I had a gel manicure done - which completely left my nails weak and thin. They would always break - which made me really sad. I do not recommend gel manicures for this reason, I rather have gel finishes from polishes I use myself or if I do go to a salon - Shellac manicures. All in all, this is my favourite base - it has done wonders to fix my nails.

Budget buy: Bourjois Happy Light foundation

I have always been apprehensive about drugstore base products, but this year has seen me venture into the world of budget buys like never before. I think it was because I had acne prone hypersensitive skin I could never trust cheaper alternatives and would always stick to my high end.. But for every day wear I have stuck to my Cover Outlast Stay Fabulous 3n1 foundation and now this Bourjois Happy Light foundation with 8h hydration.

This photo was the first time I ever tried this foundation. I had left my MUFE HD foundation at home by accident and I was getting ready for a wedding at a friend's place. After watching and reading several reviews on this foundation I already knew that I wanted to try it. It was the perfect opportunity, so I picked it up at Priceline for $29AUD that afternoon, I guessed my colour was 52 beige Clair, which turned out to be a complete perfect match. 

Pro's:

- Long lasting (although I do wear the illasmaqua hydrating primer underneath and set it with my Hourglass Ambient powders in Diffused Light and Dim Light)

- Hydrating (this foundation claims to be 8h hydration - I don't know about that but it is perfect for dry to normal or normal to combination skin and doesn't essentuate any dryness but gives the skin a nice glow and subtle luminousity 

- pretty affordable.. $29 is a hefty price tag for overseas readers but that is similar prices to Revlon and Loreal foundations in Australia. Compared to higher end foundations that are around $50-110AUD

- doesn't separate.. Not that I have oily skin at all - but this would be good for even my combination skin readers 

- light to medium coverage but can be built up to full coverage without looking cakey.. It looks absolutely beautiful built up 

Con's: 

I really don't have any complaints although I will say that the foundation colour range for Bourjois has always been limited and lean towards very yellow. So if you prefer pink undertones or for my darker skinned readers - I'm sorry you can't try this beautiful foundation. 

Overall, I adore this foundation in terms of colour for my skin, finish, buildability and the longevity. I highly recommend this for dry to normal or normal to combination skins with light to medium colouring. 

Budget buys: Beauty Haul

I know - I have a problem.

There's no denying that I love high end make up, although this year I have grown to appreciate and love budget buys - I think a lot of products in the drugstore are comparable to high end, and some categories I prefer to stick with more affordable products.

My top picks are the Bourjois Happy Light foundation (my shade is 52 Beige Clair) - which is a backup because I love it so much and is my top pick for a light but buildable summer foundation, and I'm excited to try the Bourjois Happy Light luminous primer from the same line and the Bourjois Healthy Balance powder in 53 beige Clair (which claims to be 10h mattifying and as Amelia Liana claims a dupe for her favourite Giorgio Armani Luminious silk powder). What an enabler! I definitely have a nail polish problem - I can't say any are my favourite picks.. I'm excited to have all colours on my nails. But I do love Essie's formula and longivity the most.

Products I purchased:
Bourjois Happy Light Foundation - 52 Beige Clair
Bourjois Happy Light luminous primer
Bourjois healthy balance powder in 53 Beige Clair
Maybelline Fit Me concealer in Sand
Revlon Super Lustrous in Pink pop
Essie nail lacquers in Fiesta and Fiji
Rimmel London Salon Pro with/avec Lycra in Cocktail Passion
Australis Nail colour in K-pop
Bourjois Blush in Rose d'Or
Bourjois flower perfection translucent smoothing primer

Organic Raw Honey - the delicious skincare remedy

Despite being an incredibly delicious condiment - it has known for its medicinal and healing properties. Organic raw honey is one of the best, most affordable treatments you can implement into a skincare routine. Although it can be incredibly messy and sticky lathering your face with this liquid gold - the benefits are completely worth it!

So what are the benefits?

- Traditional used for medicinal purposes - helps heal burns, wounds and infections

- Extremely moisturising 

- It is suitable for all skin types, even very sensitive skin (so don't be afraid!)

- 100% natural - it is so important you only choose unrefined 100% organic raw honey to put on your skin 

- Anti-bacterial and anti-fungal agent which disinfects and helps speed up the healing process of acne or other skin conditions such as eczema or extremely dry and broken skin

- Loaded with lots of antioxidants to restore damaged or wrinkled skin

- Draws out impurities in your skin and helps detoxify pores

- Cleans the skin and leaves your face feeling nice, supple and looking radiant

I highly recommend using organic raw honey as a treatment mask at least twice a week (more if you're really up to it) to improve your skin condition and just as a nice pick-me-up treatment.  It is incredibly affordable to use and completely natural - so why wouldn't you try it?!

The thing about Toners

Whether you care about your skin or not, the steps you're likely to do in your routine is cleanse and moisturise. But what about the in-between process? - Toning. A lot of people do forget this step - unless you're someone who religiously sticks to a 3 step skincare routine (Cleanse, tone and moisturise) then it definitely is a process that is overlooked. Sure it can add extra seconds or minutes onto your skin routine, which is just more work and time - which can be daunting for most as time is a luxury we just don't have. But taking the extra time could really benefit your skin especially if you have problematic, dull, and dehydrated skin. 

My skincare routine is definitely much more than the 3 step process - but toning has always been something extra and a little bit more ensuring that I've completely cleanse my face and then returning the hydration back into my skin - ensuring that the skin's pH levels are also returned to normal. 

So the basics of what toning actually is to me is 

1. Balancing the skin: No matter what type of cleanser you're using whether it be gel, oil, cream, milk or balm - going through this cleansing process (of how many times you actually do cleanse your skin - I recommend you always double cleanse at night) you are having to use water (unless you're using a water-base cleanser like Bioderma) to remove the cleanser as well as the makeup, dirt and grime that you've removed. The temperature of the water is specifically important in this case as it disrupts the pH balance of the skin which is why sometimes your skin can feel tight and dry post-cleanse. By using a toner after cleansing you are returning your skin to that normal pH balance and often you find after using a toner the feeling of tightness is gone. This is why it's so important to listen to your skin - that's what it wants.

The next two steps I've taken word completely from Caroline Hirons : You should also use one toner to take away and one to add on.

2. Exfoliating the skin: By taking away from the skin - yes we mean exfoliating - and no, we don't mean by using scrubs with beads and such the size of golf balls to do that. The best way to exfoliate without irritating and disrupting the surface of the skin is by using chemical/acid-based toners to remove dead skin cells and deeply cleanse your pores. Trick is to let the toner do the work - not your hands or overly abrasive scrubs. Key ingredients to find in products are glycolic acid, willow bark, tartaric acid, citric acid, lactic acid, glycerin and try to steer very clear of products with alcohol in them - as this can strip your skin and be very drying. 

3. Hydrating the skin: Depending on what time of toner or "lotion" you use - it can also be a base to deeply hydrate your skin (if you are someone who is dehydrated - you probably need to do this step). These toners often come in a mist form with rosewater, aloe vera, citrus (vitamin C), lavender (for brightening) etc.

Toning is an essential step to keeping your skin clear, bright and fresh looking - if you find that your skin is either acne-prone, dull, dehydrated or overly oily - you probably need to add this step into your routine. So... Get on it and do it now.

Review: Dr. Jart Water Fuse BB Cream SPF 27 PA++

I've been wanting to review this for a while, but what really sparked it was reading Anna's (from Viviannadoesmakeup) post on this particular BB cream. I started to write a comment to this post and it was quite long and extensive so I thought it would be better to review it on my blog instead.

First and for most, I do really like this BB cream, it is definitely the best one I have tried so far, and I have gone through plenty of the Korean brand ones (Missha, Skin79, Etude House, HolikaHolika) but really never liked any from those brands. I'm not particular big on BB creams as I was before, some how I switched from really light foundations and BB creams to more full coverage foundations, now I'm starting to revert back to lighter and moisturising textures and this is something I definitely have been reaching for. 

The Dr. Jart Water Fuse BB Cream has a unique formula and in the way it is supposed to be applied and how is works. You really have to read the instructions on the back and apply it the way it was intended to really see the greatness of this product.

The instructions on the back follows: "Apply proper amount over entire face and gently pat to spread evenly."

The way you're supposed to apply it is by spreading it out all over your face and gently tap it into the skin, as you can see below the left side is a heavy swatch of the product, the middle swatch is the product being spread out and I've started to tap it into the skin. The tapping motion is important rather than smoothing it on or rubbing it into the skin as water particles start to form (hence the "water fuse" in the name). The water particles burst and help the product melt into the skin easily and really creates a wonderful light texture on the skin. The right side is the product blended into the skin (and you can't really detect it because it just doesn't look like any but a very dewy moisturiser that perfects the skin, which is why I always feel like I will have this product in my makeup collection)

*Swatches of the Dr. Jart Water Fuse BB Cream*
(Left: Heavy swatch; Middle: water particles forming from tapping the product into the skin; right: product blended in)

This product sits really nice on the skin, in fact I think it is comparable to the Laura Mercier Silk Creme foundation. I actually had days where I would compare a sample of the two products and they looked relatively similar, if anything the Dr. Jart BB Cream just made me look healthier and glowy. The are definitely similar in terms of colouring (Sand Beige is the match of this BB cream) and over all look of the product on the skin with the exception that the Dr. Jart BB Cream is dewier than the Silk Creme. It is quite good coverage but probably is only sheer to medium rather than the Silk Creme's buildable light to full coverage. I do really like the LM Silk Creme Foundation however the Sand Beige colour runs a little grey on my skin (which is the same for this BB cream) and tends to really flash back in photos. For that, I could never justify the price and purchase it. This however, was 75% off on Sasa.com when I purchased it... which is why I could justify buying it. An absolute steal. I can't remember the exact price but if you check the website then you get a fair idea how much it was, a pretty ridiculous price point in my opinion and I was extremely lucky that day. 

I enjoy using this BB cream really only when I'm in a rush to do my makeup in the mornings, if my skin is looking a little dull and if I'm on an errand day. It's a nice little gem to keep in my collection, but I don't reach for it very often (mainly due to the colouring as I am quite tanned from the Australian sun). Unfortunately there aren't many colour shades (especially that don't run grey) like other BB Creams, but if you're anywhere near an NC or NW25 (it wouldn't matter as the greyish tint would neutralise the colouring of your natural skin)/Chanel 30 Beige/MUFE #127/LM Silk Cream in Sand Beige then colouring would be ideal for you. 

The Review: Naked 2 by Urban Decay

I posted about this palette long before it came out about the release of it. And after owning it for about a year, I thought I would just update you on the product.

I absolutely love this palette! It was in my 2012 beauty favourites since it has been my go-to palette for any eye shadow look I had last year. I own all of the Naked series palettes and this is still my favourite. This palette is so diverse and I love the cool-toned neutrals and the mix of matte and shimmery eyeshadows. You really can create so many looks with this and the colours would suit any eye colour or skin complexion.

 *Note: Sorry about my messed up palette, it shows how much love this palette actually gets!*

You get 12 highly pigmented eyeshadow shades that range from high shimmer formulas to more matte and subtle shimmers. The colours included in this palette are Foxy (Matte cream bisque), Half Baked (golden bronze with micro glitter), Bootycall (cream nude with iridescent glitter), Chopper (copper with silver micro glitter), Tease (Matte taupe), Snakebite (dark bronze), Suspect (pale golden beige), Pistol (light greyish brown with shimmer particles), Verve (oyster), YDK (cool bronze), Busted (dark brown) and Blackout (blackest black matte eyeshadow).

Here are some swatches of the shadows, they're in order of the palette from left to right. These swatches are without a primer. They are highly pigmented and the texture of each shadow is beautiful, some of the high shimmer shades do experience some fall out so using a primer or a cream eyeshadow as a base to hold the powder product is recommended.

(Foxy, Half baked, Booty call, Chopper, Tease, Snakebite and Suspect)

(Snakebite, Suspect, Pistol, Verve and YDK)

(Blackout and Busted)

I highly recommend this product to any one as you get 12 beautiful eyeshadows you can use all year round. The Naked 2 contains 12 x 1.3g of product, which for approximately $50 is an absolute steal. You can purchase Urban Decay products from Beauty Bay.