First Experience with Gelish

During the week before christmas I had the sudden urge to get a more longer lasting manicure, one that would see me through the holidays and withstand all the cooking and cleaning.

Now i've dabbled with OPI Axxium before and really enjoyed this treatment but its more expensive in my salon than the Gelish so I thought this was worth a try.

Luckily I managed to nab a last minute appointment the day before Christmas Eve.  I couldn't believe how quick the application was.  My nails were complete in half an hour and that included soaking them first whilst the beautician finished up with another client.

To keep with the festive theme I chose Hot Rod Red with Good Gossip on top to add a bit of sparkle.

On my nails the Gelish lasted three weeks and my nails grow quickly so I definitely got my moneys worth.  Unfortunately I failed to take any pictures and am only realising now but thought I would continue with the post anyway as I will certainly be treating myself to Gelish again.

Seeing how simple the procedure was has really inspired me to try it at home and i've already been browsing eBay for UV lamps and Nail Harmony colours.  For those of you who carry out DIY Gelish at home and have any tips please leave a comment below.

On an exciting note (well for me anyway), my very first Glossybox is winging it's way to me.  This is the first beauty box i've subscribed to so we shall shall if I keep it up.  Right now I'm avoiding any spoilers of whats inside the box, namely Gemma's blog.

Hope everyone had a lovely weekend!

What Sundays are all about

For me Sundays are about 3 things:-

1) sleeping in late and lounging about the house all day (pyjamas optional)

2) catching up on blogs, YT etc.

3) experimenting with makeup

When you have no plans it's great to play around with different makeup looks, at the end of the day no one will see you and you can remove it and start over if you wish.

Today I stepped away from my usual black gel liner and opted for an eggplant shade in the form of Gosh's Funky Violet Velvet Touch Eye Liner. I can't remember the last time I was without my Blacktrack Fluidline, so you can say this is definitely out of my comfort zone.

I'm not usually one for pencil liners either however this has a creamy formula and is waterproof. This is true to it's word and will be a job for my cleanse off oil to remove.

This is how it looks on. You can apply it lightly or as heavily as you like.

The weekend also welcomes a change to adventurous nail colours. My nail of the day is Models Own Jade which I first spied in Augusts edition of Cosmopolitan and just had to have it.

With Flash

Without Flash

If like me you don't like Barry M Mint Green. Try Jade Stone. It's got a thicker consistency so no streaking however I only applied this last night and already there are signs of chipping :s

What other colours are must haves from Model's Own?

A cheaper alternative!

I've been debating whether to get arcylic nails or gel nails which can both have damaging effects on your natural nails.

Instead i've opted for press on nails.

Same effect as acrylics/gels without the damage.

I used Nailene So Natural in 71000 Pink (short length/square shape) which were £6.85 from Superdrug.

These are a bargain compared to the upkeep of acrylic nails. They are simple to apply and can easily be removed.

They come with a nail glue which I neglected to use. I bought Nailene ultra quick glue which seems to hold them on for longer.

I applied mine on Monday and they are still going strong :)

They have curbed my cravings...for now!

Current craving

Recently i've found myself lusting after arcrylic nails.

Photo courtesy of sensalsa.co.nz

I know these are not the healthiest for your nails and there are lots of horror stories but i'm so jealous of those with well groomed, long talons

I've always wanted WAG style nails with the perfect french manicure. This obsession has been encouraged with the current state of my nails ie bad cuticles, different lengths and certain nails are always peeling.

They are permently hidden underneath layers of dark polish.

So come pay day I hope to book my first appointment to have acrylics fitted leaving me with the nails I yearn for :)

I sort of know before I ask, but what are your feelings on acrylic nails? There must be some people who swear by them and who are keeping nail salons in business.

Check out this video. It certainly made me feel better about acrylics.

17 v China Glaze

Boots currently have a buy one get one free offer on selected 17 cosmentics.

I picked up their high gloss nail polish in Miami and a free fast finish polish in Ruby Dazzle.

This polish in my opinion is very similar to China Glaze's Ruby Pumps which is a play on Dororthy's shoes from the Wizard of Oz. Its the same ruby red in colour with flecks of glitter throughout, unfortunately the picture doesnt do it any justice.

Boots 17 polish retails at £2.63 so its a fraction of the price of what you would pay for a China Glaze polish.

For those who don't know what Ruby Pumps looks like, you can find a swatch here.

Here is another view of Ruby Dazzle:

This is two coats of polish with no top coat or base coat.

This applies smoothly but can be a bit sheer so i applied two coatings. Overall the colour is very pigmented considering it is a low end drugstore brand.

Are there any other hidden gems from the 17 range I should try?