NEW from Models Own – DIAMOND LUXE – containing real Diamond Dust!

Every now and again, an email pops into my inbox which I immediately want to read, this is one of those. At the minute, I am obsessed with nail polish, particularly as we move from Summer to Autumn and then to winter. Whilst the weather is still undecided about what it wants to do, there is still a chance to wear those lovely bright colours before morning to the Berry and Black shades.

Then I saw these!

With 10 brand-new opulent polishes that are Luxe by name and Luxe by nature, each polish contains real Diamond Dust to deliver a completely unique, multi-dimensional super-sparkly finish and some serious bling appeal!  The shades from left to right are called Princess Pink, Trillion Taupe, Heart Red, Pear Purple, Marquise Maroon, Carat Coral, Asscher Blue, Radiant Pink, Emerald Green, Oval Plum     

The ultra-fine diamond dust glides smoothly onto nails, giving a hint of sophisticated shimmer, coupled with the colourful shades for year-round grown-up glam. They are quick-drying, achieve a long-lasting, ultra-smooth sprinkling of sparkle for the most glamorous manicure.

Price at just £4.99 each, they launch EXCLUSIVELY online at www.modelsownit.com on September 19th in all UK Models Own Bottleshops from September 20th and in Superdrug stores nationwide from September 24th. I will most definietly be looking up these shades and trying them out for myself.

Will you be trying them out?

Birchbox Manithon for Coppafeel!

Breastcancer is an issue that is close to my heart.  My best friend from my early school days died from the disease when she was in her early 20's and three current friends have it.  Everyone it seems knows someone with the disease, has had the disease or is undergoing treatment from the disease.

CoppaFeel! aims to stamp out late detection and misdiagnosis of breast cancer by ensuring that people know that signs and symptoms of breast cancer, know what their boobs look and feel like normally, check their boobs regularly throughout their lifetime and have the confidence to seek medical referral when they detect abnormalities. Currently 5% of diagnosed cases are already at stage IV with breast cancer being the second most commonly diagnosed cancer in women under 30 in the UK (181 new cases diagnosed and 12 deaths annually). CoppaFeel! strives for a country where no one dies of breast cancer because of late detection or misdiagnosis. The charity receives no government funding and relies solely on voluntary donations.

On August 29th, Birchbox are hosting a Manithon which will take place here in London's between 10am and 7.30pm. Here you will see 20 manicure stations, set up by Birchbox in partnership with Models Own nail polish, take over London’s Soho Square as a team of manicurists file and polish all day long and you can book your slot by clicking HERE.  All that is asked is a donation of at least £5 is given and that donation will go to CoppaFeel!

This exciting beauty charity event is also being supported with the sale of a Limited Edition T Shirt, designed by renowned fashion ilustrator Sally Faye Cotterill. Modeled by celebrity ambassador Sarah Jane Crawford the T is available exclusively through the Birchbox website at www.birchbox.co.uk/shop from Friday 1st August, 2014 priced at £12.00, with 100% of proceeds from the sales of the T-shirt going to CoppaFeel!  Here is the t-shirt!

You can find out more about this event by using any of the information below:

Website: www.birchbox.co.uk
www.coppafeel.org
Twitter: @BirchboxUK  and @CoppaFeelPeople
Hashtag: #BirchboxManithon

**Update** Visitors to the Birchbox CoppaFeel! Manithon later this month will all received a FREE Birchbox tote bag, with a choice of three luxury beauty samples from a choice of 10 best-selling brands, along with an exclusive Birchbox scarf and subscription offer.

Things I love having done!

Do you ever sit back, daydream, think wishfully that you could just pop into your local spa/hairdressing salon or even spend the day with your closest and mostest for some pampering?  I know I do.  I have gone from hating strangers touching me, fear of the hairdressers to absolutely loving being pampered, though please stay away from my feet, that is one phobia I cannot deal with.

This is a post about some of the things I absolutely love being done to me and why, honestly it isn't as rude as it sounds.  As a beauty blogger, you won't be surprised to find out what they are and why.

I have quite a busy and stressful job, at times all I want to do is sit back or indeed lay back and escape from that world and just do something for me, sadly I don't get too many opportunities to do those very often, but if I did, well this is what I would want.

Someone washing my hair for me

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One thing that I absolutely love having done whenever I go to the salon for a haircut/trim is having someone else wash my hair.  Not a chore in itself and it is something I actually don't mind doing, but it is just so relaxing when someone else does it for you and combined with a head massage, hair brushing and temple rubbing, I am almost snoring in minutes.

Having a facial

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I haven't had many in my life, well two actually but I do love having a facial.  Both times I have been lucky enough to have one, it has been totally amazing, relaxing and de-stressing not to mention that feeling of total cleanness afterwards is something I can never repeat at home.

Having a manicure

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This is something I have recently started to really really enjoy.  I had a bad experience of a manicure when I was at University and the manicurist at the time, instead of filing my nails, used scissors to cut them, slipped with the scissors and anyway... needless to say I have had a fear since. 

 Now having been to a few blogger events and met some absolutely lovely manicurists, this is something i had begun to enjoy and something I look forward to having done.

Hand and arm massage

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This is another treatment that I find really relaxing, though it has been a while since I have had it done.  It is incredibly relaxing to have something massage both your hands and your arms using many lotions and potions.  The last one I had was at a beauty event with Debenhams last year and the lovely ladies of Elemis were on hand to do this exact treatment and it was pure heaven.

Back and Shoulder massage

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This is possibly one of the best treatments ever, though again, a bad experience when I was at Uni for a spa day with my housemates terrified me.  The masseuse was so rough with massaging my shoulders that I screamed in pain for her to stop because it was utter agony and for weeks it hurt like anything to move.

Then a few years ago, I took the plunge having had chronic back-ache for weeks to go and have a massage and honestly it was the most amazing thing ever, so relaxing and de-stressing and something that almost had me in a deep sleep.  I find that with having a stressful job my shoulders are usually always quite tense and having them massaged literally cures everything for me.

So there you have, the top 5 things I love having done.  

Do you have a favourite treatment you like to have? is there anything you absolutely swear by?

Nailing it with Ted Baker

Spring has arrived and summer isnt too far away and now is the time to ensure hands and feet are in the best condition we get them in so we can be wearing cute sandals and flip flops with toenails being painted some amazing shades and the same for our fingernails as the darker winter shades are final stored away and out come the lighter, happy bright colours.

With that in mind, Ted Baker have a list of beauty tools exclusively available in Boots that we need to use to achieve that beautiful manicured nail and pedicured foot look.

Teds New Buffer* which is a clever four sided nail file, comes encased in the beautiful foxglove packaging and it allows you to file, smooth, buff and polish in 4 quick steps.  This file is so handy, since I got my hands on it i have used it a lot and for £5 it is an absolute bargain.

Next comes Ted's nail clippers* which again have the same print packaging as the nail buffer and they have been designed for accuracy and ease to leave your nails looking trim and beautifully neat. Priced at £6 these clippers are a lot smaller than ones I am used to using, that said they fit perfectly in my make-up bag.

No Ted Baker collection is complete without some stunning nail polish and this time we have a set called Delightfully Dusk* which are described as being an iridescent pair of precious metals , Silver lining is a lustrous shimmer that when coupled with the prettier-than-pretty Delightfully Dusk, is designed to make you shine.  The photo below shows Delightfully Dusky which is such a beautiful dusty pink colour and when it catches the light, not only is it really sparkly, but there are also hint of silver too.  This duo is available for £8.50

What do you do to ensure your nails are in tip top form for the start of summer? Do you have any hints, tips and secrets we should all know about?

Biosculpture Spa Range Nail Care

One of my goals for 2014 was to to take better care of my nails because they have become quite weak and brittle not to mention prone to peeling and snapping which is really annoying when you finally manage to get your nails to a length you are happy with.

Apparently the cold weather can be harsh on your nails because the change in weather means they have to as the change in continually adapt to dealing with either the freezing cold outside or the warm centrally heated indoor environment much like your skin which can also turn dry, flaky and be in need of a little more TLC.  The constant cold and change in temperature can cause your nails to weaken, crack and split easier, more so in the winter because dry air destroys keratin, the protein that keeps them strong and flexible.

Biosculpture have just introduced a new Spa Range of manicure and pedicure products and I have been lucky enough to try them. I have the handcream, Executive Base, Cuticle Oil and Top Coat. However there are quite a few more products within the range and you can go along to your nearest salon to have the products used and manicures start from £25 please visit www.biosculpture.co.uk for further information and to find your nearest salon.

Described as:

Bio Sculpture supports healthy nail care as the treatments nourish and protect the natural nail underneath. An application keeps nails well conditioned throughout use whilst ensuring manicures and pedicures are long lasting and maintenance free. Vitamin Dose and Executive Base, infused with vitamins & essential oils, are products used in the treatment preparation in order to nurture nails and protect nails. No primers or bonders are used that might de-hydrate or damage the natural nail; and unlike other treatments, the natural nail is not buffed prior to application, again ensuring maximum protection is maintained.

The Cuticle Oil which is enriched with Vitamin E, helps to re-hydrate cuticles and it is formulated with Almond Oil, Jojoba Oil and Avocado Oil. This products retails for £5.40.  The brush within this oil makes application so much easier to do and once on the nail bed it feels absolutely lovely and only takes a few minutes to sink in.  If like me you apply a little too much, you can of course rub it into your entire nail for a extra bit of TLC.

Executive Base which is described as being multifunctional strengthening base which compresses the nail keratin to strengthen soft, weak nails.   This product retails for £8.00.  Again the brush within this base coat makes application really easy because the brush fans out across the nail.  Once applied, it takes less than a minute to dry and then you can apply your nail polish.  What I have found by using this is that my nail polish glides onto the nail so much easier.

The final product I have been using is the Top Coat.  I have found that this is a really fast drying top coat which leaves your nails with a lovely gloss finish as you can see from the photos below, I have been wearing Essie Luxedo for the last week and it has yet to chip, so I am really impressed with this top coat.  

I think you can tell that I am really impressed with these nail products, more so given the extra length of time I have been able to wear my favourite Essie nail polish. My nails are less brittle though not quite yet near perfect, but my cuticles do look so much better and are in a far better condition now than before I used the cuticle oil.

For me these are a worthy investment and something I am going to continue to use. Hopefully in a few months time my nails will stop being brittle and weak and become the strong nails they once were.

Boutique Spa Blogger Event

A few weeks ago, I was lucky enough to be invited to a Blogger event at The Boutique Spa in West London who are the first high street spa to partner with skincare brand ESPA. Boutique Spa offers a range of other treatments including massages, facials, waxing, threading and even treatments for men.

On offer to us Bloggers attending the event was a whole host of treatments from skin assessments, foot massages and pedicures to a manicure.  I was also lucky enough be given a glass (or three) of Champagne whilst I relaxed having a hand massage and manicure with the latest releases from the Essie Polishes from their Festive Range.  Each manicure starts at £14 and comes with the option of upgrading to a classic manicure which includes a hand and arm massage, or for those wanting The Boutique Spa Manicure this includes a soak, exfoliation, mask, heated hand and arm mits, massage, cuticle tidy, shape and buff/polish starting at £25 for 20 minutes.

I was given a choice of colours to choose from for my manicure and whilst I would usually opt for a berry colour or something purple, I went for something totally different and completely out of my comfort zone.

The Shade I went for was 'Chinchilly' which is described as being "A delicious smooth light praline nail colour that adds a touch of elegance hands and feet what ever the occasion".  I was a little unsure as to whether or not I would like the shade to begin with, but once it was applied I loved it and with an added extra of 'As Gold As It Gets' which is a lovely shimmery top coat, my nails looked fabulous.

My nails were also treated with Dadi Oil, which is a 95% Certified Organic Nail Treatment which absorbs quickly and penetrates deeply to enhance flexibility and prevents nail brittleness.  This oil smells wonderful of Lavender and Bergamot which are just 2 of the 21 essential oils this product contains.

If all of that wasn't enough, I came away with a goody bag and here it is for you to see:

I also couldnt resist this lip balm which comes in the most amazing packaging with a mirror! it smells wonderful and is so nice on my lips, I love it.

I really enjoyed attending this event and if you are ever in the area please do go and look them up.  Boutique Spa is located at 123 Queensway, London W2 4SJ and more information can be found on their website HERE.