CND Vinylux Weekly Nail Polish

I love having painted nails but I must confess that recently I’ve rarely painted my nails. This is not because I don’t have the time but simply because I loathe having chipped nail polish. Unfortunately, most nail polishes just can’t stand the test of time. So when I received a package from Freedom PR containing 3 lovely shades of polish & a top coat, I had mixed feelings. As most nail brands promise to be long lasting & chip resistant I thought this collection might just be another flash in the pan. It’s rare for me to say this but I’m very pleased to say I was wrong!

If you’re new to CND like I was then here’s a bit of information about the brand. CND stands for Creative Nail Design and the company was founded in 1979 in California. The company was founded due to a chance discovery in a dentist’s office. Dr Stuart Nordstrom had an idea for a new nail enhancement product which became known as SolarNail. CND are currently available in over 65 countries and are the world leaders in professional hand, nail and foot products. CND products are available to purchase from professional salons and Cultbeauty.com.

Vinylux is a weekly, chip resistant, fast drying, brilliant shine and two step application nail polish. The product has increased durability when exposed to natural light.

My first impressions of the colours were really good. They’re the sort of shades I’d have picked myself. In fact, the whole “Nightspell” collection looks beautiful and is very much my cup of tea. I’m a sucker for sparkle and I usually tend to go for dark Winter shades or sometimes a pretty pastel shade. The Nightspell collection comprises of the following shades: Berry Boudoir – a rich berry metallic, Hypnotic Dreams – a shimmering bronze, Lilac Eclipse – a creamy light berry, Viridian Veil – a creamy deep turquoise, Eternal Midnight – a dense bright purple and Mercurial – an antiqued gold shimmer. I was sent the first three shades.

Vinylux polishes don’t require a base coat and application is easy. The brush is a good size for my nails and two coats of the polish delivers high impact colour with beautiful shine. Once your second coat is dry it’s time to apply one coat of the weekly top coat. The top coat applies smoothly just like the polish and delivers another boost of shine. Drying time is roughly between 60-90 seconds, depending on how thick your coats of polish are.

I painted my nails in the shade “Hypnotic Dreams” 7 days ago & I’m very shocked but delighted to say that my nails are still looking really good. I have no major chips but there is a little bit of wear at the ends & corners of my nails. The overall manicure still looks really good. This is the longest any nail polish has ever lasted on me. I haven’t done any touch ups at all over the last week & I usually have to do touch ups by day three.

Removal of the nail polish was fairly easy. Not quite as easy as regular polish but much easier than removing glitter polish. There was no staining left on my nails after removal.

Thank you for reading. Let me know in the comments what your favourite nail brand is.

 

January Favourites

I’m sure I’m not the only one to be celebrating the fact that January is finally over! In my opinion, January is the worst month of the year. It’s awash with depressing diet adverts that make us all feel that little bit more inadequate. Secondly, everyone seems to be giving something up and therefore everyone is miserable. The fact that it’s still Winter and we have no pretty Christmas lights to brighten up the bleak darkness at 4pm is just another kick in the teeth. Now that February is finally here, it does mean it’s time for another favourites post. So here are some of the products I was loving during January…

Firstly I’ll start with a mascara that was sent to me by Influenster. It’s the Velvet Noir mascara by Marc Jacobs and (spoiler alert) it’s amazing! I think most people would agree mascara is a beauty holy grail. If I’m short on time & can only apply one makeup product I always go for mascara. However, finding a good one in a market saturated with different wands & formulas all promising great results can be tricky. I was absolutely thrilled to be sent this mascara & overjoyed to discover that it’s actually a great all rounder. It has a jet black formula, doesn’t go clumpy, doesn’t feel heavy and makes such a noticeable difference to my lashes. One coat is usually enough but two coats are perfect for a night out. Aside from the actual product, I also really like the sleek packing. The simple black looks classic yet the shape of the tube is quite unusual. That phrase probably sums up the whole Marc Jacobs brand: classic yet unusual. The volume and curl of the mascara are long lasting too. I can wear it all day without the need for touch ups in the loos! The formula is very water resistant too. During a typical British downpour my mascara didn’t budge. It’s a big thumbs up from me.

I hadn’t heard of IT cosmetics before 2017 but this brand is one of my favourite discoveries. The brand works with plastic surgeons to develop their products and the results are hard to argue with. My favourite product from IT has to be their CC cream. The tagline reads “Your skin but better” and that’s exactly what this cream does. CC stands for colour correcting so this cream will even out redness, dark circles, sallowness and any other skin concerns. The product is also anti ageing & won’t sit in fine lines or wrinkles. Depending on my skins condition, sometimes I wear this cream alone or I add a light layer of foundation over the top if my skin needs it. If you’re running short on time you can use this cream as your moisturiser, anti ageing serum, concealer, foundation and sunscreen all in one! Did I mention that it also contains SPF 50? It’s fair to say this product is pretty impressive. In fact, it’s so impressive it makes other makeup feel a bit inferior.

Recently my hands have been really sore and very dry. They got so bad that they were actually quite painful. My brother had the same problem and he told me his E45 cream was really helping. I obviously had to try this cream for myself and I’m pretty pleased with the results. Unfortunately, the cream hasn’t completely cleared up my problem but it has really helped. I will continue to use to for the next few months & let you know how I get on. The cream claims to help with: dry/flaky skin, eczema, itchy skin, dermatitis, dry psoriasis and sunburn. The product has a medium consistency but doesn’t feel greasy on my hands. The cream does take a little while until it’s fully absorbed but I usually use it before bed so this doesn’t really bother me.

If you follow me on Instagram then I’m sure you know how much I’ve been loving the Tarte Tartelette In Bloom eyeshadow palette lately. The colours are so pigmented & long lasting. The palette contains 12 complimentary shades that are perfect for every season. The shades are buttery soft & aren’t chalky at all. I recently used this palette to create a look for a wedding & my eyeshadow lasted all day (12 hours). The palette has really pretty packaging & comes with a good sized mirror. The shade, charmer in the top left corner is a perfect base shade and helps to counteract any discolouration on the eyelid. I know I’ll be getting lots of use out of this palette.

For most people dry January means giving up alcohol, but for me it refers to how parched my hair is. My skin & hair always suffer in Winter but are particularly bad in January. I knew my hair needed a deep treatment so I decided to use my Lee Stafford Arganoil pre-shampoo treatment. You apply the mask to dry mid lengths and ends of hair and leave on for 10-15 mins. Once the time is up you simply wash your hair as usual. Even after just one use my hair feels so much softer and more manageable. Split ends are a lot less prominent and frizz is reduced. What more could you ask for from a hair mask?

Personally, I don’t buy into having a signature scent. I’m a perfume addict and love having a fragrance wardrobe. I love being able to pick a perfume depending on my mood & what I’m wearing. I’ve never owned a Jo Malone perfume before but one has always been on my wish list. I was delighted when my boyfriend bought me the English Oak & Redcurrant cologne for Christmas. I tried this scent in John Lewis and fell in love with it. The top notes are quite fruity but the base notes are very woody. It’s quite a rich scent and it’s definitely perfect for Autumn and Winter. It’s a great perfume to wear with a cashmere jumper to a Sunday carvery or for an evening out with friends. The scent itself is long lasting, so there’s no need to reapply throughout the day.

Finally, I want to share with you my latest skincare discovery. It’s the Garnier micellar oil-infused cleansing water. I use this cleanser to remove waterproof makeup and love the fact that I don’t have to rinse it off afterwards. This product is suitable for delicate skin & eyes. It even has an award from the British Skin Foundation. To use this product you simply shake the bottle to mix the oil then apply with a cotton pad. The best news is it doesn’t sting my eyes! When I bought this product it had a third off & cost me about £3 for 400ml, so it’s a bargain too!

Thank you for reading! Let me know what products you’re loving at the moment in the comments x