Manic(ure) Monday - tools of the trade

Why does Monday always come round so quickly? In order to brighten up the most dreaded day of the week I'd start a little nail polish series, featuring my favourite shades and brands. Before getting to the pretty stuff however, I thought I'd start with the basic tools I use in order to get my nails into tip top shape for painting.

Leighton Denny Small Crystal Nail File
I've been wanting this for so so long, and finally caved last week when I had some spare ebay profit lying around doing nothing. I'm incredibly fussy when it comes to nail files, I'd rather gnaw my fingers off than put an emery board near them, and my cushioned file had just died a death on me. The texture took a bit of getting used to as I was expecting it to be uber smooth, but it's so quick and easy to use. A couple of swipes over your nail and you're done. And all it needs to keep it in perfect condition is a quick run under the warm tap :D

Boots 4 way buffer
This is the handiest thing to achieve neat and shiny nails in an instant. One side is the dreaded emery board, which is obviously ignored. Side 2 gets rid of ridges, while side 3 creates a smooth finish, and side 4 buffs your nails to subtle perfection.

Cuticle care
Depending on time (and generally laziness) I use either my No7 Nourishing Nail and Cuticle Care cream, or my Avon Green Tea Nourishing Cuticle Pen. Both products work to soften and neaten the cuticle before pushing it back if necessary.

Cuticle pusher
This particular product is no longer available in Boots/Superdrug, however there are a million similar pushers out there. I prefer ones with rubber tips as you can see, but you can also buy wooden hoof sticks - I think the rubber just feels a bit gentler on the cuticle.

No7 Stay Perfect Nail Base & Top Coat
I bought these ages ago when I found myself with several No7 vouchers to my name (does anyone else find the thought of just not using them utterly horrific??) and they work really well. I've never had my nails turn yellow from my nail polish when using this base coat, and top coat keeps them chip free for days - especially if you're a bit obsessive and do several coats over those few days :D

Nivea Daily Essentials Light Moisturising Day Cream for Dry and Sensitive Skin

I found myself out of my comfort zone a few months ago when I realised that the moisturiser I've used for the past decade had been discontinued and that I'd have to pick a new one. I actually hadn't got much further than checking a few reviews on the Boots website when I bought Nivea's Daily Essentials Light Moisturising Day Cream for Dry and Sensitive Skin. Maybe I'd been brainwashed by the length of the product name? Or maybe it was on offer in Tescos and I vaguely remembered that it had got good reviews on Boots. I'll leave it up to you to decide.

Although the product is a fairly light cream it definitely does what it says on the tin. It doesn't feel heavy or greasy, it just leaves the skin baby soft. It also has just a hint of that classic Nivea fragrance that evokes images of beautiful old women with perfect skin that they put down to 50 years of nothing but water and Nivea creams. It feels incredibly nourishing on the skin and sinks in really quickly so you don't have to wait too long before applying your makeup - something which is essential for me as I don't have a lot of time to spare in the mornings.

It also contains spf 15, which I actually found somewhat hard to come by when I was researching which moisturiser I was going to go for.

It retails for £4.99 which is an absolute bargain given that it performs just as well as mid-range products and although I missed having a pretty jar sitting on my shelf at first, the squeezy tube is really handy as it doesn't dispense too much product at once - a little really does go a long way with this product.

 

A more realistic wish list...

 

Top Row  

MUA Undress Your Skin Foundation

Mememe Seventh Heaven Moisturising Face Base

L'Oreal Paris Skin Perfection  3 in 1 Purifying Micellar Solution 

Middle Row

L'Oreal Paris Glam Shine Stain Splash

Real Techniques Setting Brush

The Balm Mary-Lou Manizer

Bottom Row

Bourjois Intuitive Liner

Leighton Denny Small Crystal Nail File

Bourjois Paris Colour Boost Lip Crayon

An unexpected use for the Real Techniques Contour Brush

I have been cursed with skin that is dryer than the Sahara, and as a result I always seek out foundations and skincare that claim to be super moisturising. The downside to these products, however, is that my eye makeup often slides southward during the day, and as I have no plans to become the next Alice Cooper this is obviously a problem.

Earlier this year I'd bought the Real Techniques Core Collection, and as I don't use bronzer I had been at somewhat of a loss as to what I could use the contouring brush for. I hadn't even taken it out of the case, so when I packed my brushes before my holiday earlier this month it ended up coming along by default, and that's when I first used it to apply powder under my eyes. I seriously haven't looked back since - the shape is perfect for applying powder exactly where you want it and it just picks up the right amount of powder so you don't look super-caked.

Unfortunately it has made me look at other brushes I had dismissed as useful...this could get expensive!

What's my face worth...with a twist

This is an interesting take on the What's Your Face Worth tag...what's it worth vs how much you actually paid for it..

Base

Diorskin Eclat Satin: I was lucky enough to find a genuine bottle of this on ebay for £9.50. I have recently discovered that it has been discontinued but you can still get it from places like Feel Unique for £31 (which I believe was the price you would have paid in Debenhams etc).

Accessorize Sweetcheeks Cream Blush 1 Rose: I bought this recently in Superdrug, using £2 worth of Points, leaving me with a balance of £1.95 to pay

No7 Perfect Light Pressed Powder: I rarely use powder except for under my eyes to stop the dreaded mascara smudges so I'm ashamed to admit that I've had this for so long I can't remember what I paid for it. The Boots website states £11.50 which sounds about right so I'll stick with that.

Eyes

Le Volume de Chanel: I got a free sample of this from Stylist magazine, RRP is £24

Revlon Colorstay Eyeliner: This was on offer recently (buy one get one half price) so this worked out at £3.14

Rimmel Glam'Eyes Trio eye shadow: I use the darkest shade in this trio on my eyebrows. I'm not sure exactly what I paid for it (e.g. if it was on offer or a part payment with points) so I'll just list the full price of £6.49

  

Lips

Revlon Lip Butter: Repurchase along with the eyeliner, I paid the full price of £7.99

Brushes
I've been using two of the Real Techniques Core Collection recently, I bought them from Amazon using a £15 gift voucher that I had which brought the price down to £5.99 from £20.99

Totals

So there we have it, to replace my daily makeup right now would cost £112.21, however bargain hunter that I am I managed to get it for less than half price at £46.56. Not bad eh?

High End Wishlist

I know what you're thinking...what's a wishlist like this doing on a budget beauty blog? Well, a girl can dream can't she? Especially when going through duty free...

Top Row

Urban Decay Naked Basics

Benefit Creaseless Cream Shadow

Middle Row

Estee Lauder Invisible Fluid Makeup

Nars Sheer Glow

Le Blanc de Chanel

Benefit High Beam

Bottom Row

The Balm Mary-Lou Manizer

Lancome Hypnose Star Eyes Palette

Nars Light Reflecting Pressed Powder

London Calling...

This post should have gone up last week before I went on holiday, but unfortunately time and my laptop conspired against me and I didn’t quite manage it. But we’re only halfway through the summer and lots of you are still going on holiday so here’s what I took to London with me...

Boring Practicals

Wet wipes and body spray, for on-the-go freshening up (came in handy in 31 degree heat!), anti histamines which also came in handy when I came out in a wicked heat rash, painkillers, tissues and savlon (no idea why, I just chucked it in on the off chance).

Shower Essentials

Mini Aussie shampoo and conditioner – I’ve had these for a few years and just top them up from my big bottle whenever I go away as hotel toiletries never seem to do the trick!

St Ives exfoliator – this was a free sample from the Boots website and is the perfect size for travelling.

Mitchum deodorant – if you’re spending the day traipsing round tourist attractions in the middle of summer you’re gonna need something heavy duty to keep you feeling (and smelling) fresh.

Johnson’s baby softwash – what??? I like having baby soft skin!

Venus Spa Breeze razor and spare blade – these are the handiest things for travelling, no need to pack an separate bulky bottle of shaving gel, and this razor is so quick and easy to use that your pins are fuzz free in no time – a must on holiday.

Sunshine Sundries

Sunglasses – a bargain £7 from Tescos. I normally find it really hard to find sunglasses that fit my pea-head, but these were perfect :D

Ambre Solaire Factor 30 suncream – Big enough to see me through a few days away, and small enough to carry around with me. Unfortunately I still managed to get a bit burnt, but it was 31 degrees after all!

Boots Soltan after sun – I actually bought this over there, after the aforementioned burning incident. I love Soltan products, they do exactly what they say on the tin without breaking the bank.

Skincare

I received a gift set at Christmas full of miniatures of the exact skincare products that I use (someone did their research!) From l-r: No7 Cleanse & Care Eye Makeup Remover, No7 Soft & Soothed Cleanser, No7 Soft & Soothed Toner, Nivea Daily Essentials Light Moisturising Day Cream

Haircare

Shower comb – to gently ease out any tangles while conditioning, clip for sectioning during blow drying/straightening, Aussie Take the Heat leave-in spray, Boots Essentials hairspray, Body Shop mini hairbrush

Brush Roll

L-r: No7 Crease Brush, (rather old) No7 Eyeshadow Brush, Elf Blending Eye Brush, Real Techniques Contour Brush, Real Techniques Pointed Foundation Brush, Real Techniques Detailer Brush, Real Techniques Buffing Brush