Beautiful brows

For the purpose of this review, I believe the photograph speaks for itself.

I picked up the Beautiful Brows kit when I attended Salon International last year. I was convinced after the saleswoman demonstrated the product in the exact way I have shown above. The difference is quite striking for someone like me who has thin and fair eyebrows, but even on those with fuller brows the kit works really well to provide definition.

The kit included the brow powder in my shade (chocolate), three brow stencils, a double-ended brush, a lipstick and a mascara, for £30. 

The application is quick and simple. All you need to do is choose the stencil that closest matches your shape and place it over your brow and then, using the fluffy end of the brush, apply the powder against the direction of the hairs. You only need a small amount of powder to fill in the brows and the slanted brush can be used for any missed areas or to add more definition. After you apply the powder you have approximately 10 minutes before it sets to fix any errors, after that the powder stays in place all day. I typically apply my brows at around 8am and remove my makeup at about 10pm and there is minimal fading.

Beautiful brows say that the brow powder is made using a unique, highly concentrated mineral in pigment powder that is smudge-proof, water resistant and designed to last a full day. I was told that if you use the product every day it will last for 3 years! I have actually purchased this product before, when the brand was in its infancy and was selling the power, brush and stencils for £10! Unfortunately, before I had even created a dent in it I smashed it all over my bathroom floor but even though I have tested other products before repurchasing this has remained my favourite.

I really like the product can make my eyebrows looked much more groomed than they are, my eyebrows were long overdue a shaping session in the above picture, but the product hides this. Because I am not great at shaping my brows using the stencils to heavily shade in the area and then pluck all the hairs that aren’t in that area is an easy way for me to shape my eyebrows.

I’ve only ever seen Beautiful Brows at beauty and hair shows but you can purchase the kit on their website for £35.

Nip + Fab Glycolic Fix review

I didn’t expect any product to challenge my love of Alpha-H’s Liquid Gold…..but Nip + Fab Glycolic Fix has done just that.

I received these after attending a press event they held long before Christmas. On the day I was treated to a mini facial, which gave me a chance to get a feel for the products on my skin. The first thing I noticed about the glycolic pads was that they didn’t make my skin feel dry or tight, in fact they immediately made my skin feel smooth and hydrated.

The pads contain glycolic acid (the same star ingredient as liquid gold) and are recommended for use up to twice a day (morning and night). Very simply, you take the pads (which have a refreshing lemon scent) and sweep it all over your face and neck after toning and before moisturising.

I’ve already raved about how liquid gold treatment did wonders to brighten my skin, making it smoother, helping to clear up scars and reduce redness too. Having used liquid gold for so long, these have helped to maintain my skin condition, and I’ve used it as a 'top-up’ treatment. I only use these at night, and I like to skip using a moisturiser when I do. I have tried using these several nights in a row and I haven't had any problems with my skin drying out. I found that they are good for reducing redness as well as clearing up any small blemishes. Over time they are also good at faded scars and acne marks. Overall I think my skin looks clearer and more refined having used this.

I’ve used the tub over the last few months and I’m glad to report that the pads haven’t dried out. There are 60 pads contained in each tub, which if you use as instructed will last you 1-2 months, but I think you can get away with using these once or twice a week, depending on your skin condition, which means that it will last much longer.

Regardless of weather you’re using this in the morning or evening, whenever using glycolic products you should protect your skin during the day with a sunscreen. I read on All that Slaps review that the Nip + Fab product contains 4% glycolic acid. Liquid Gold contains 5% glycolic acid but even though it is a 1% difference the recommendations for frequency of use are quite different, unfortunately I don’t remember my chemistry days well enough to be able to explain why that might be.

The cost of 60 pads is £12.95, which is significantly cheaper than a bottle of liquid gold and makes this  a great value alternative product. Personally I will be skipping repurchasing liquid gold in favour of this for the purpose of keeping my skin in the condition it is in now.

Nip + Fab can be found in Boots as well as some department stores and online.

Leather look nails by Nails Inc

This post begins with a short backstory. Having created two beauty boxes as gifts this year, one for a fellow beauty blogger and another for my sister, my mum decided to do the same for me……..

Now don’t get me wrong I am actually very grateful for the socks and of course who doesn’t love a pamper voucher? But I still don’t think mum should be starting up her own beauty box company any time soon!

Now onto the reason for the post...

Nails Inc are releasing a number of nail effects polishes this year one of which is the leather effect. I was glad to get the tan colour as part of a leather and bling it on skulls set, which includes the polish, four faux gold skulls and nail glue. I love the tan shade, which suits my skin well and which I know I will wear all year round.

Of the nail effects polishes I own this is without a doubt the easiest to get right (remember the struggle with magnetic nails?) and is the quickest to apply. In total it didn’t take more than 15 minutes, including shaping and a base coat, to have finished and dry nails.

The polish applies smoothly but as it begins to dry the effect forms. The instructions state to apply the first coat, wait two minutes and then apply a second. Nails inc also recommend that you skip using a top coat since this would affect the finished look. You can then apply the skulls, using an orange stick and the nail glue to stick them into place, but for now I have decided to save these for a special occasion. I am hoping that the glue will secure them well enough so that I can recover and reuse them.

When using this for the first time, after applying the first coat, I smudged one of my nails and, rather than starting again, I carried on with the second coat and the effect masked the original smudge (can you spot where it was?) Your nails do feel rough to touch, which is odd at first but something that you get used to.

The polish lasted 4 days before chipping and considering that was without a top coat, I thought that was pretty impressive. Based on my experience smudging the polish, I think if you wanted to make your manicure last a few days longer, you could try reapplying the polish over any chipped areas.

I've read on other blogs that the leather effect is being released later this year, although the black and tan colour, as part of the set, are available now in Selfridges for £19. There is also a gorgeous deep red colour, which will be available too.

What do you think of the leather effect? Or have you had enough of nail effects altogether?