Monday 13 August 2012

Review: ImPRESS Nails in Vamp It Up

I'm sure most of you will have heard of ImPRESS Nails by now. They've been raved about throughout the blogging world for quite some time now, so I thought I would give them a go and see if they lived up to all the hype.

A few weeks ago I was going to a local music festival and wanted some funky festival nails, so decided this would be the perfect time to try the ImPRESS Nails. There were loads of designs to choose from. From simple block colours to funky animal print. I decided on Vamp It Up, a neon stripy design with graffiti style hearts on.

(Credit to www.thesundaygirl.com for this photo)

So what did I think of them? The packaging is super cute! They come in a nail polish shaped bottle which I loved! I liked the simplicity of it all. Simply peel the plastic off the self-adhesive nails and press them onto your nails. No fussing about with nail glue and getting your fingers stuck to your nails by accident! I also loved the design! I'm big into nail art and love funky designs, so the choice was pretty awesome in my opinion. They're also super easy to take off, I just peeled mine off.

However, sadly that is where the positives end for me. I felt like there just weren't enough different sizes of nails. I struggled to find ones that fitted perfectly to my nails and often my own nails (which were cut short) were actually longer than the ImPRESS Nails. Due to this I ended up with 3 nails in a row with the same design. I also thought the nails were very chunky, a lot more so than regular false nails. As for the staying power, it wasn't great. I had mine on for 24hours and only one came off, but my friend's all came off within the 24hours at the festival, and it's not like we were doing anything physically demanding on our nails! Also the self-adhesive tends to pick up dirt under the nails, which, let's be honest, isn't very attractive. From afar I think these nails look great, but up close they really don't. They look so obviously fake due to the chunkiness and bad sizing.

(Photo taken at the festival. My hands look weird haha!)

Another slight negative to them is the price, which I believe was around £8 if I remember correctly. For the quality of these nails I really just don't think they're worth the money. I could have created just as funky a design myself for a whole lot cheaper!

I really was hoping to be able to give these nails a good review, as that's all I've read in the blogging world, but I just couldn't, I really was that unimpressed with them. Perhaps they'll work out better for you though, it could have just been down to my own nails that they didn't work for me.

Sorry ImPRESS Nails! :(

Sunday 10 June 2012

My DIY Ombre Hair Experience

I'm sure everyone knows what ombre hair is by now, and if you don't, where have you been for the past couple years? Ombre hair is a graduation from dark to light, or light to dark, whichever floats your boat! The trend first became popular in 2010 and gradually lost it's appeal over the following year or so, but now, in spring/summer 2012, it is coming back! And it's not just hair, ombre make-up and clothing has become very popular lately too, and in my opinion I think it's great! So great that I thought I would embrace the trend and have a go at ombre-ing my hair!

I have bleached my hair in the past, but usually it was just highlights or all over, never had I ever tried to create a gradient effect. To be honest I was pretty scared! But it turned out great and I am super happy with it! The picture below is when I just did it (3weeks ago). I have been using purple shampoo ever since and the blonde has become a lot more blonde.


If you would like to see how I created the ombre effect in my hair, I filmed the whole process, so you can check out my video below.


Helz xo

Saturday 7 April 2012

Graze Box ~ Yummy Treats Delivered To Your Door

So, recently I came across a rather nifty little box, and it is the Graze Box. You can visit their website here.

The Graze Box is a subscription box, similar to all the beauty boxes out there, but for food. You receive 4 different snacks in each box.

In my first box I received:

Summer berry flapjacks
These were really tasty! I'm a sucker for flapjacks, so I knew these would be a winner for me.

Strawberry Milkshake (strawberries, banana and white chocolate buttons)
This was pretty good, the strawberries were juicy and I love white chocolate. The bananas were okay, kind of chewy and tasted a bit weird.

The Herb Garden (herb and onion peanuts, oregano rice crackers and baked herb bites)
This was probably my favourite thing in the box. I love savoury bite style things like this, and these were delicious!

White Chocolate and Raspberry Cheesecake (Hazelnuts, raspberry infused cranberries and white chocolate buttons)
This was pretty good. I liked the raspberry infused cranberries and of course I love white chocolate, but I'm not a huge fan of nuts. However, I found when the hazelnuts were eaten with a few cranberries they were nicer.

Overall, I think I got a pretty good box. With each box comes a little card giving you all the nutritional information for the four products. I wasn't expecting this and it was a good thing to have included.

There are over 100 different snacks available, from rustic breads to fruit and nuts to chocolatey goodness. There are two types of box to choose from: the Nibble Box, which I got, and the Nutrition Box. The Nibble Box includes four treats from the full range of products, whereas the Nutrition Box includes products which are nutritionally beneficial for you (so no chocolate!). On the website you are able to rate each food based on whether you like it or not, and these ratings are used to help the Graze team choose the products for your box. 

This box only costs £3.79 per box and is sent out weekly. You can choose to have a box delivered once a week or multiple times a week, so it is very flexible.

For more details about the Graze Box check out my video here.

If you like the sound of this little box of yummyness and would like to try it for yourself, click here to order your first box FREE.

Enjoy! x

Sunday 1 April 2012

Revlon Colorburst Lip Butters

The Revlon Colorburst Lip Butters were finally released in the UK this month and so I had to pick up more than a few of them! Basically, I am obsessed with them! For a full review on these amazing products check out my video here. Below are swatches of the shades I picked up.

Left to right: Peach Parfait, Tutti Frutti, Candy Apple, Macaroon

Left to right: Cupcake, Sweet Tart, Raspberry Pie, Lollipop, Berry Smoothie

The UK did not receive all shades released in the US. 
The shade list for the UK is as follows:

Berry Smoothie
Candy Apple
Cotton Candy
Creme Brulee
Cupcake
Lollipop
Macaroon
Peach Parfait
Pink Truffle
Raspberry Pie
Strawberry Shortcake
Sugar Frosting
Sweet Tart
Tutti Frutti


Which colour is your favourite? Personally I love Sweet Tart!

Tuesday 14 February 2012

Review: Lush Magic Mushroom Bubble Bar

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Happy Valentines Day everyone! Being the singleton that I am I decided, instead of getting all down on this loved up day, I would have a bit of a pamper session. 

I recently ordered a bunch of products from Lush (See what I got HERE!), one of which was the Valentines Day limited edition Magic Mushroom bubble bar.


Aside from being super cute, this bubble bar also smells pretty scrumptious! Its bright red top smells of vanilla, while its white stem smells of strawberries (I had expected it to be the other way round!), giving your bath a delicious strawberries and cream scent that isn't overpowering.


This bubble bar is easy to crumble and just a small portion gives lots of lovely bubbles. It also leaves your bath a rather pleasant rosy red colour. Although it doesn't boast of any skin moisturising ingredients, I found this bubble bar to leave my skin feeling very soft and nourished.

The Magic Mushroom retails for £2.45 and is only available for a few more days, so be quick if you want to snap this little beauty up!

Thursday 9 February 2012

Review: NYX Slide On Eye Pencils


I had heard a lot about these eye-liners, so when I came across them at IMATS London I just had to give them a go! I swatched them then and there and was amazed at how smoothly they glide on! These liners are highly pigmented, little or no pressure is needed to achieve a super intense colour. They are waterproof and don't smear or smudge, perfect for the waterline. They are very comparable to the Urban Decay 24/7 Glide On Eye-liners but a lot more affordable, retailing at £6.50 in the UK and £8 in the US.


I purchased two of these fabulous liners at IMATS in the colours Gunmetal and Glitzy Gold. I had been wanting a gold liner for ages and this one was perfect. I could not find the black liner so opted for Gunmetal and am glad I did, it's not as harsh as pure black.


I have been using Gunmetal in my waterline everyday since I got it (hence the stubby end) and it stays all day, even through those long busy work days! I had such a problem with my previous pencil liner wearing away throughout the day but this is just perfect! They are also so easy to apply to the upper and lower lash lines and look great!


I will definitely be purchasing more of these liners as they are absolutely fabulous! I can't believe I didn't try them sooner! This is a big fat recommendation from me! :D

Helz xo

Thursday 26 January 2012

L'Oreal Lash Architect 4D Mascara Review and Giveaway!

So, I've tried a lot of mascaras in my time on this planet but this one is by far my fave! If you haven't already picked up from the title, it is the L'Oreal Lash Architect 4D Mascara. This mascara claims to enhance your lashes in 4 ways to achieve that much sought after false lash effect. Using the power of sculpting fibres, it lengthens, volumizes, texturizes and curves the lashes! I've been using this mascara for the past few months and really do believe it's claims to be true! It really does give that false lash effect! I love it so much I bought it for my mum for Christmas!

It comes in a gorgeous sculpted, mirrored tube, which I think makes it look a lot more expensive than it actually is. Retailing for under £10 this mascara really is a steal!


The brush is a standard bristle brush with a slightly narrower tip, perfect for coating those tiny inner and outer lashes. Personally, I prefer this type of brush to the rubber bristles or combs, as I find it really coats my lashes easily root to tip.


For this mascara to be truly breathtaking I find two coats are needed. One coat is perfect for every day wear, it leaves the lashes perfectly defined but not overly dramatic. For the evening, two coats is a must! This is when the false lash effect really comes into view! You will not believe the transformation in your lashes!

If you would like to see a demo of this mascara, I did a review over on my YouTube channel and the video will be linked below. I am also giving away a tube of this mascara through that video so if you would like to try this mascara for yourself, then head on over to my channel and enter via that video.


Thanks for reading! Helz xo

Saturday 21 January 2012

Zooey Deschanel Inspired Tuxedo Nails

So, Zooey's nails have been the talk of the web ever since she tweeted a picture of them at the Golden Globes saying “I am wearing a gown but my nails are wearing tuxedos!!!”. I absolutely loved the super cute nails, so had to give them a try myself!

I started by applying a base coat followed by a white polish


Next I used a black polish with a really skinny brush to paint the black tips


This same black polish also had a pen applicator, so I used this to draw the cute little bow-ties (this step is harder than you'd think!). Using a dotting tool I got from eBay I dotted three little buttons down the centre of each nail


Finally I applied my favourite Sally Hansen Mega Shine top coat and voilĂ  I have cute tuxedo nails just like Zooey!


Not as good as Zooey's, but I think I did a pretty good job! Drawing on the bow-ties was the hardest bit and they're far from perfect (steady hands are a must!). What did you think of Zooey's cute tuxedo nails? Have you tried this look? Show me! :)

Wednesday 11 January 2012

Sorry!!

So it appears I have been neglecting my poor blog, no posts in around 3 months! :O BUT I am here to tell you all that I am super sorry and I plan to post at least once a week from now on! So stay tuned for upcoming blogs of awesomeness! :D

I hope everyone had an amazing Christmas and New Year! Let's make 2012 a good one!

Helz x