Winterized Nails

I love my nail polish. If only I were a bit more patient and less inclined to use my talons as screwdrivers, bottle openers and ice scrapers, I might be a nail blogger. I've certainly got the kind of nail polish collection that's more commonly seen in a mid sized branch of superdrug (not that they stock some of my brands!).  Trouble is, winter plays havoc with my nails. We had a little weekend away recently, and a few days of wholesome outdoors in the cold, a fair bit of swimming, and a slight coming together between my thumbnail and a sofa base have left my usually lovely long nails looking like sad little nubbins.  Breaks, splits, and the less said about the skin on my hands the better.  (I cried when I broke my thumbnail. Actual real tears, in front of 4 year olds, whose idea of tragedy is a weekend without Disney Junior)

Winter is a pretty terrible time to be a fingernail, I reckon.  There's all that cold, icy windscreens and the like.  Then there's central heating, and a tendency to spend too long with hands under the hot air dryers in the ladies.  Gloves, while cosy, aren't best friends with a pretty manicure, and unless you're very fussy, can catch on any tiny rough edge and ooops, there goes another nail.  And the all-important office Christmas party.  Ours was last week, and my nails are still nubbins by my standards.  I was this close to a trip to the local nail bar for a full set of acrylics, until I remembered that there's a good reason why I haven't done that in 5 years, and my nails only look like nubbins to me, to anyone else they're actually OK.  But half the office gave in to the temptation of extensions, gel manicures, and the sort of treatments that look great at the time, but take a whole lot of effort to get back to normal.

There are a few ways to help a poorly looking set of claws through the freezing season. A little bit of love goes a long way, so when Julep, one of my favourite brands (honestly), got in touch, I just had to share some of their advice in the form of an infographic.

I've got to say, cuticle treatments are my number 1 tip. While I wouldn't have bothered until a few years ago, the difference a really good treatment makes is amazing, in terms of look, feel, and the life of your mani.  And aside from all that, they tend to smell incredible. Think almonds, think peppermint, think things that almost make you want to start biting your nails again (or is that just me?)  Don't do it though, nibbled nails are so not a good look.

I'm trying to avoid the typical Christmas nails of metallic red, green and gold this year. Everyone and their dog has found a nail bar who will give them the kind of sparkly mani that was strictly the reserve of the enthusiast a couple of years back, so it's onwards and upwards to new things,  Contrasts and nail art are good. Textures are good (if only because the gel manis haven't got there yet!). Multi-dimensional and duochrome effects are a real soft spot of mine, and I do love a twist on a granny colour.  You know the sort of dusky pink you'd normally associate with crinoline toilet roll covers and winceyette nighties?  Well, I've got to be honest, it looks STUNNING on a good set of nails. Trust me.  Something like Shari or Malala (which I adore as a colour, before I even learned about its inspiration & charitable donation).  Maybe even with a glitter topcoat for the party season. Bling comes in all shapes and sizes these days.

Check out the mani I did a few weeks back  (but please don't look at the awful state of my cuticles, or the horrible work car park background.  I used a deep burgundy base, topped with a mylar flakie topcoat.  These are a complete pain to apply, I have to admit, because the mylar flakes don't lie flat and make the polish gloopy, but they are so pretty to look at.  I think it reminds me of ice particles forming on my nails - Elsa style maybe.  In fact, maybe I should try it on a blue.  Mylar shows up best on strong bold colours, so an icy blue or silver base probably wouldn't work, but maybe something like Amy would, then I could do my real Ice Queen look.

What's your favourite winter mani? And how do you balance stunning nails with the need to keep your hands warm? Have I missed a trick?

Disclosure: I have not received payment for this post. I chose to share the infographic because I found it interesting and thought readers may do too.

On Gelish

I love my nail polish. Anyone who has met me knows that. Anyone who has had the dubious pleasure of spending a reasonable amount of time in my presence, or that of my Facebook, will have some idea of the level of obsession we're talking about here.  I love the colours, the textures, the finishes, the process of painting my nails, and do it all too often.  But most of all, I love doing it all myself.  So for that reason I'd resisted the temptation of those expensive, long lasting gel manicures. After all, I can get a fair few bottles of polish for the price of one mani.

Until now, that is. I won a Gelish manicure (one of the two big brands in gel manicures) from a local beauty salon, and as my colleagues rave about their gel manis, I thought I'd give it a go. Why not, nothing to lose?

So, here's my early take on it.

Pros

Lovely finish

Long lasting (or so I'm told)

Not as expensive as I thought

Any excuse to be pampered.

Cons

Less choices than I have at home

No finish/texture options

Takes about an hour

Feels "thick" on the nail

Now don't get confused,the time is in both pros and cons. I love the treat of having some time to myself, but it's a precious commodity that I can rarely manage with Squeaky, and there's no way she would sit still while I had a treatment, and I kept thinking "I could be doing something else now, and do my nails after bedtime", like I normally do.

Would I go for it again? Ask me in a fortnight, but right now, I suspect that the salon will remain strictly for waxing, massages and eyebrows.

Astral Cream - When will it take you?

Olfactory memory, scent memory, is an amazing thing.  A single sniff of certain scents can transport you to times and places you wouldn't otherwise have thought of.  With that in mind, I was happy to see when and where Astral moisturiser would take me.

Astral has been around for over 60 years, and while the pot has undergone a little bit of a makeover, the formula remains the same soft and creamy moisturiser it's always been.  With a scent that takes me back to playing supermodels in my childhood friend's kitchen (though I think they were just called "models" back then), caking ourselves in makeup, teetering around in high heels and the kind of early 80's fashion mistakes that no revival is ever going to bring back.  Once we'd finished our show, we were restored to our infant school glory by liberal application of Astral on a cotton wool ball to remove the make up and leave us fresh and moisturised.  The scent lifts me there in seconds, close my eyes and there are 7 year old giggles ringing in my ears.  And I'm sorry to disappoint, but I was young long before digital cameras were readily available, and there are no photos for you to laugh at.  Instead, look at my finger!

I love the little pots, they are so handy for in the car and at work. While the cream doesn't have an SPF, so I wouldn't replace my facial moisturiser with it in the daytime, it's a great product to have around after washing up, running from place to place, or to deal with itchy dry knees and elbows all year round.  Miss Squeaky is away at my folks' for a few days, but I've no doubt when she returns she'll love the idea of a grown-up cream that she can share as well. That's the thing I really like, I'm confident that Astral is safe on her skin, as it's tried and tested through time, and I can maybe give her the same olfactory memory I have of growing up with it.

Would I buy Astral again? Definitely, it's so soft & gentle on my skin, and the smell is so reassuring and calming, just what I need when work is getting too much.

Astral is available from many high street retailers in 50ml (pictured), 200ml and value 500ml sizes.

Disclosure: I was provided with the above pictured products free of charge for the purposes of this review. I was not told what to write and all opinions are my own. Links are provided for convenience only, I am not a member of any affiliate scheme and will not receive reward for their use.

Spots, Zits, Call them what you will

When I was younger I believed in all sorts of crazy things.  Unicorns, gold at the end of the rainbow, and the concept of there being a time in my life between the spots going away and the grey hairs starting.  Well, as the grey hairs started when I was 15, and at 37, the spots still haven't left that's clearly never going to come true.  I've tried all sorts of things to settle my skin down, but if the Belisha Beacon that's currently taken up residence between my eyebrows is anything to go by, they've not been all that successful.  Creams, gels, medicated washes, light therapy.  Maybe it's time for a bit of professional help.

I've considered talking to my GP, but in all honesty I spend so much time in there with one ear infection after another, I can't build up the nerve to talk to them about my spots.  I'm sure they'll just tell me to go away & get over it, they're far too busy with people who are actually ill.  But acne has a big knock on effect, it's not just about the uncomfortable & unpleasant looking spots, it affects your confidence, your mood, your job chances - who's going to want to be served their dinner by someone whose face looks too much like the pizza you've just ordered?

Image courtesy of David Castillo Dominici/Freedigitalphotos.net

I recently heard of a company called SK:N clinics who are specialists in dermatology & dealing with awkward skin conditions.  SK:N clinics offer all sorts of non-surgical treatments to help deal with acne prone or problem skin, with skin peels starting from just £105 – I've got creams that cost more than that (which I won, admittedly, but even so!)  It doesn't cost the earth, and when I consider what I've spent over the years in trying to treat my skin problems myself, I'm kicking myself for not having thought about it sooner.

Acne scarring can also cause a problem.  It's not as simple as your mum used to tell you, that if you pick it, it'll scar, if you leave it alone it'll go away.  For one thing, who can really leave it alone when there's a nice juicy spot there, ripe for squeezing? Scarring isn't directly caused by squeezing anyway, it's caused by damage to the tissue beneath the skin, which can build up excess collagen trying to repair the damage caused by the spots, leaving that familiar pock-marked effect.  Even the rich and famous (or snooker players, I'm more familiar with them) can't escape this, though they have better make up than us.

Stephen Hendry still bears the scars of youthful acne

Acne scarring is treatable, using chemical peels, laser treatment, or the one that grabs my attention the most, a dermaroller, which creates thousands of tiny contact points on the skin, promoting skin renewal  using your body's natural healing process. It's a technique that can be carried on at home between consultations, and sounds like a high tech, skin version of the lint rollers that were so popular in the 1980s for removing fluff from jumpers.

I'm actually thinking quite seriously about this now.  Less these days for my face, but I'll be honest with you, acne can strike in other places as well, and I'm quite conscious of my acne in other areas.  You don't need a diagram.  The dermaroller is safe to use on all areas of the body, so this might just be the one for me.

What about you?  Have you ever sought help with problem skin?  What are your experiences?

Disclosure. This is a sponsored post. I was not told what to write & all opinions remain my own. Links are provided for convenience, I am not a member of any affiliate scheme & will not receive reward for their use.

Lumie Acne Treatment Light Review

This is a long overdue review, so I really must apologise, but it's not the easiest thing to write about.  Once upon a time I believed there would be a time between the spots and the grey hair.  But the grey hairs started to appear when I was 15, and at 37 (yep), the spots are still hanging around.  Not quite as much as in my teens, but they're still there.  So when I heard about Lumie Clear LED light therapy for mild to moderate acne, I thought it might be worth a try.

It's an impressive piece of kit.  The light machine has a pattern of red & blue LEDs, apparently the red soothe inflammation & the blue kills acne bacteria.  The light part itself comes away from the base, so you can use it either freestanding, or directly on a small affected area, and it comes with protective goggles, because the blue LEDs may cause damage to your eyes if you look into them unprotected.  The light therapy treatment is offered as an alternative to creams & drugs and is safe to use during pregnancy.  I wish someone had mentioned this to me then, because my skin was a mess while I was expecting.

The length of time you use the light for depends on how far away from your skin you have the LEDs.  The machine works in blocks of 15 minutes, and automatically turns off at the end of this, but if it's further away you will need to start it again for another block, or however many are required.  I concentrated on my forehead because that tends to be the site of the majority of my breakouts, and I was able to hold the light on or close to my forehead, so I could use the shortest time.  I found the light was really easy to use, I took it off the base unit, and I could read a book or watch tv with one hand while holding the light with the other.  The base unit's useful if you want to treat a large area such as your back or need both hands free.

Lumie reckon you'll see visible results after a month of regular daily use, so I've given it my best shot (which is why this review is so delayed), though I have to admit I haven't always been able to make the time, and there have been days I've missed.  And I haven't taken before & after photos because no-one needs a close up of my spots!  Sorry. If that floats your boat, I'm sure there are other bits of internet out there for you.

Terrifying!

Did it work for me?  That's the question you really want to know, isn't it?  Honestly.  I'm not sure.  It hasn't stopped the breakouts, but then I don't think anything short of a total head transplant will!  But it has reduced the length of time they last, and their severity.  I haven't had any of those horrible painful spots that hang around for a week getting bigger & redder, those that I have had have gone away pretty quickly.  The downside is I felt (and looked) a bit of a prat using it, and it does take a regular time committment.  Laugh away. It's not easy to light your face with one hand & take a selfie with the other while wearing protective glasses.  That said, I think I feel a new facebook userpic coming on.  I'm going to persevere with it, though I can't promise it'll be every day.

My one criticism is that the power cable is a bit too short.  I was quite restricted where I could use the light, as I had to be close enough to a plug socket, a longer cable, or battery power option would make the light a little bit more user-friendly in my opinion.

The Lumie Clear light therapy machine is available direct from Lumie, and also from other retailers including Argos and Amazon, RRP £149.00.  You can also buy a refurbished model for cheaper, which is probably worth the saving.

Disclosure: I was provided with the Lumie Clear light free of charge for the purposes of this review.  I was not told what to write and all opinions are my own. Links are provided for convenience, I am not a member of any affiliate scheme & will not receive reward for their use.

MitoQ 8 weeks on

You might remember back here, I reviewed MitoQ, a new, powerful anti aging skincare product.  Well, it's time for part 2.

MitoQ's effects take a little time to build, and are most noticeable after a month or more, and thanks to a snarky commenter (I didn't publish, sorry), I remembered that I'd missed posting the follow-up, as I posted my initial review after a single week of use.

I found that the cream did make a difference to the appearance of my skin, especially to the fine lines around my eyes.  My skin appears fuller and smoother, and more evenly coloured.  It took a little bit of getting used to, I had a few break outs during the second week or so.  This might be the cream, or it might just have been one of those things.  So I persevered, and the spots went away, and my skin looks considerably better.  To the extent that people have noticed I look "well".  You know, it's that thing people say when you look a bit different & better, but they can't quite put their finger on why.

Now the summer's approaching, I'm going to have to add an SPF to my beauty regime as well as the MitoQ, which could be a sticking point.  All the SPFs I have, aside from proper "holiday" suncream, are already moisturisers, and I'm not sure whether my skin will deal with two, or whether I'll think it's a bit too much hassle to use two, and just use an SPF moisturiser instead.  This is the one failing of MitoQ for me, that there isn't any sun protection in it.

I'm staying with it for now, but I have a feeling MitoQ may become a winter-time part of my beauty package, and go away for the summer months, which is a shame considering the cost.  I like it, it works, but I need the sun protection.  If your skin is less sun-sensitive than mine, you may feel differently.

MitoQ Anti-Aging skincare Review

I'm becoming quite the beauty blogger here of late.  I'm not even sure how, it's just crept up on me, much like my age.  Well, never one to turn down trying something new, I was recently given the chance to try out MitoQ, a powerful antioxidant, anti-aging cream, which has just been launched in the UK.

The cream comes in a very stylish smoky 50ml bottle, with a pump action dispenser, something I always find comes in handy, as I can be quite heavy handed otherwise & end up squeezing out far more than I need.  According to the manufacturers, MitoQ is 1000 times more effective than other antioxidant creams, restores your skin's natural defences, and lightens & brightens your skin leaving you looking younger & hiding blemishes.  Sounds good to me, I need all the help I can get!

They claim that after 1 day your skin is radiant & hydrated, after 3 days your skin feels noticeably softer, and after 10-30 days skin will look younger with less fine wrinkles and scars.  I've been using MitoQ for about a week now, so I can't comment on that last one just yet.  Maybe I'll have to post a new picture next month, and you'll mistake me & Squeaky for twins!

I've been using MitoQ for about a week, as I said, and now I've got past the initial surprise of the colour of the cream.  I know certain other moisturisers are yellow (that one that's different, in a dramatic way!), but this is really yellow.  Custard yellow.  It doesn't matter though, it's the effect that counts.  The cream is really smooth and light, and easily absorbed into my skin, without any feeling of tightness or irritation.  I was pleased to notice that the cream is suitable for even hypersensitive skin types, as I am prone to reactions to some creams.

Nails: Leyla Soft Touch Effect Noir

It's also completely unscented.  Most times, that would mean there's a kind of base smell, while not unpleasant, not exactly pleasant either.  But no.  When I say MitoQ is unscented, I mean it has no smell.  At all.  That's strange but a good thing, as it means it won't interact with perfumes, and I'm not at all conscious of wearing it.

One thing to note is that MitoQ doesn't contain an SPF, so you will need to add a UV sunscreen or sunblock as well to protect your skin from UV damage.

MitoQ is available to order direct from their website.  It has a 30 day money back guarantee, so you can try it with confidence.

Disclaimer: I was provided with a bottle of MitoQ free of charge for the purposes of this review. I was not told what to write and all opinions are my own.  Links are provided for your convenience, I am not a member of any affiliate scheme & will not receive reward for their use.

For Part 2 of this review, click here

#FairtradeFortnight - Visionary Soap Company Review

Fairtrade Fortnight is coming.  25th February to 10 March 2013, to be precise.

Fairtrade Fortnight is about spreading the word, getting involved, and promoting Fairtrade.  Fairtrade products guarantee a fair price for their producers in the developing world, ensuring they are paid enough for the good they produce, so they can make a living.

Fairtrade products available in the UK include coffee, chocolate, sugar, tea, fruit, clothing, and even soap!  That last one surprised me, but thinking about it, why not?  Products like cocoa butter, shea butter, olive oil and herbs & spices, can be traded fairly to their producers, and they can carry the Fairtrade mark just as easily as the products that spring to mind more readily.  So for me, joining forces with the Visionary Soap Company is a really good way to get involved with Fairtrade Fortnight, because I'm learning about new Fairtrade products, challenging my beliefs about what a Fairtrade product would be, and spreading that information to you, my beloved readers!

The kind people at Visionary Soap Company offered me the chance to review a couple of products for Fairtrade Fortnight, and I was delighted to receive a parcel containing Lemongrass soap, and Lemon lip balm.  I absolutely love citrus scents, so these were perfect for me.

This is the point where I realised I should have taken a photo of the lip balm before I broke it out of its box & started using it. Sadly I'm not great at patience or self restraint, and within moments of it landing on my doormat, I was smacking my lips together, with a slick of balm.  The lemon lip balm is lush.  No, that's the only possible word for it. LUSH.  It's come in so handy during the cold snap of late, going in & out from heated houses & offices to the great British outdoors normally plays havoc on my lips, and I end up with cracked lips that invariably lead to a very fetching collection of cold sores.  Not so this year.  The balm is soft to apply, more so than brands I've used in the past, but feels really light and not at all greasy.  And my lips, well they're soft enough for Squeaky to lay a smacking kiss on, and that's what matters to me!  The smell is lemony without being overpowering, and slightly sweet.  Kissably delicious.

I managed to be slightly more sensible when it came to the soap, so you get a better photo.  Let's go for the obvious first.  Yes, it's an odd colour.  But I kind of like that.  It looks authentic, rustic (and a little bit expensive!).  And there's a certain high street soap company that makes all sorts of crazy colours of soap.  It doesn't have to be bleachy white!  Moving on from the colour, again the smell is divine, sharp lemon, not as sweet at the lip balm.  The scent comes out stronger when you use the soap, the hot water seems to bring it out more.  I sort of expected there to be less lather from this soap than a bar of ordinary white soap, I don't know why. But I was wrong, it lathers up perfectly, and leaves my hands feeling soft and clean. There's shea butter and olive oil in there, which is probably why they feel so soft.  I'm keeping it in the kitchen, as it's great for getting cooking smells off my hands.  As my new year's resolution is More Home Cooking, this is definitely a big help.

The lip balm is available in 4 flavours, including Lemon, for £3.45.
The soap is available in 8 fragrances, plus unscented, for £3.69.
You can order these, plus other Visionary soap products direct on their website.  Wouldn't you like to spend Fairtrade fortnight smelling & feeling great, as well as making a difference to the lives of the farmers who make our treats possible?

Disclosure: I was provided with the above products free of charge for the purposes of this review. I was not told what to write and all opinions are my own.  Links are provided for your convenience only, I am not a member of any affiliate scheme & will not receive payment for their use.