Gel Manicure Cheat...Sally Hansen - Complete Salon Manicure Nail Polish in 'Fairy Teal' 450

     All of us would love to be able to afford to have gel manicures constantly and not just for special occasions like birthdays or holidays.

     Yet, while the more pampered of princesses amongst us have these little luxuries in life, the rest of us can rest easy with the new range of nail polishes that are giving pricey gel manicures a run for their money.

     Brands like Rimmel and Max Factor have all in recent months released polishes promising to possess as much durability as the gel manicure.

     Despite this, I had yet to try any of them until I came across this lovely turquoisey-teal colour from Poundland of all places!

 

The colour goes gorgeous with my puau shell bracelet from New Zealand!

      Initially, I wasn't expecting it be like the same consistency as a gel polish, mainly because it was from Poundland and the quality of the beauty products there is somewhat lacking...

     However, even after one coat, it's easy to tell that this polish is not your standard run-of-the-mill watery polish. It's thick without being gloopy or lumpy, and the colour is highly pigmented.

     I especially like the broad brush as it enables me to do my nails quickly and aptly.

    I havent't had this polish off since I bought it a few weeks ago, and I'm kicking myself for not buying a few more in different colours as there's none left now at such a bargain price!

GOSH Velvet Touch Lipstick in Burgundy

     GOSH isn't a brand that I'm very familiar with. In fact I usually bypass it completely when I'm doing my usual beauty browse in Superdrug. 
     Yesterday however, being the ultimate consumer that I am, was reeled in by big red signage stating that the velvet touch lipsticks were part of a special offer.
     Cue hawk-eyed interest from me. The lipsticks were £4.49 instead of £6.49, granted not a huge discount but still a saving nonetheless. 
     Another reason I told myself it would be totally fine to purchase yet another lipstick was that I hadn't bought or tried a GOSH lipstick before so it would be the perfect excuse to compare it to my usual favourites. 

     The lipstick is a lovely wine colour, perfect for the still snowy months. Factoring in the weather at the moment, the lipstick is very moisturising without being too sheer, which is perfect for when our lips are prone to dryness at this time of year. Everyone knows there's nothing worse than a matte lip with chapped lips!

     I love the sleek black packaging and I think the intricate little GOSH detail on the lipstick makes it seem so much more expensive and classy. 

     The colour lasted on me all night, even with drinking, when a lot of the time I find myself topping up my lipstick if it's from a less expensive collection like GOSH.

     Has anyone got any favourite GOSH products I should know about?

Swatch of 'Burgundy'

Soap & Glory - Skin Saviours Review

    
    Despite my long suffering battle with my spot prone skin, I've never really been that much into skincare.

    I've always preferred to splash my cash on makeup to make me look better, rather than something that claims to turn my skin into something resembling a baby's bum. 
Having said that, I am loyal fan of Sudocrem for my spots, which ironically is actually meant for babies bums...

    Anyway, enough talk of bums. My mam bought me a huuuge Soap & Glory giftset for Christmas, and oddly enough, I have fallen in love with the Peaches and Clean 4-in-1 Wash Off Deep Cleansing Milk. 

    Soap & Glory claim that it's "The best cleansing milk on the market!", and I agree.

    With peach extract, quillaja bark (no I don't know how to pronounce that either,) and jojoba oil, the milk smells divine and once applied to the skin, seems to have a cooling effect. 

    Not only does it help to improve the appearance of your skin and pores, but it completely removes all traces of makeup, leaving you feeling really refreshed. I used to be quite lazy with removing my makeup, I have used cleansing wipes for years, but no matter how much you rub, you can never quite budge every little trace of makeup. This is why this cleansing milk is so perfect.

It's an absolute steal too at only £7!

    Now onto my other fail-safe lush skin product - The Fab Pore Facial Peel.

    This little beauty doesn't look a lot, in fact, when I bought it in desperate need of something to combat my humongous pores, I thought perhaps I was being a little bit robbed of my pennies at £8 for a small-looking tub.

    However, as usual, I was wrong.

    Soap & Glory say that you need to use "a grape sized amount" of the peel, but as I don't slap it over my whole face, (just my t-zone and chin usually,) I use slightly less than that.

    You can leave it on for a quick refresher for 5 minutes, or 15 for a real deep clean. I tend to use it for 15-20 minutes in the evenings when I'm not going to see anyone...(note the scary sun-cream esque photo below.)

    Once reluctantly washed off, my skin feels baby-soft and super refreshed. Appearance wise, my skin is visibly brighter and more 'glowy' and fortunately I can see a decrease in the size of my pores.

Swatches: Left - Cleansing Milk, Right - Pore Peel

    After using these divine products, I'm going to scope out more Soap & Glory products to add to my collection, and at such reasonable prices it would be rude not to!

Does anyone else have a favourite Soap & Glory product?

My 2012 Favourites

     Despite it nearly being February already, at the end of December I vowed to write a post on my favourite beauty products of 2012, so after much procrastination and general busy-bodying after my return to England, here it is. 

     (I've even tried to be creative with the pictures, causing some numb fingers!)

      Firstly, I wrote about the infamous Nars Laguna bronzer in my very first post, after hearing so much hype about it. I can confirm that, everyone can believe the hype with this one.
It's the perfect pick-me-up bronzer as it makes you appear tanned and glowing, rather than orange, like some bronzers.
You can buy Nars Laguna here.

     The Maybelline 'Fit' foundation was a total impulse purchase and accidental buy if I'm honest. My friend Natasha and I were doing our weekly food shop in Kroger, in Memphis when we came across the reduced section. I found this little beauty for two dollars, when there was nothing wrong with it at all. 
    Luckily it was the perfect shade for me, and I find it to have great coverage with my spot prone skin, without looking too matte.
     You can buy the foundation here. (Unfortunately not as cheap as when I bought it!)

     The Estee Lauder Michael Kors blush/bronzer was actually part of a free gift from Estee Lauder. The gift included a gorgeous Michael Kors makeup bag, complete with the obligatory 'MK' gold key chain. Other items were a lipstick, lip gloss, mascara, eyeliner and nail polish.      Definitely the best free gift I've ever had!
      With this compact, you can either sweep all the colours together to create a warm glow, or simply use one of the colours to achieve a more definitive look.
     At the moment, I'm using the darkest colour on the apples of my cheeks.
     I can imagine this product being very pricey if it were sold alone!

     Once again, I've already written about the Clinique quickliner for eyes but I absolutely love it. It certainly isn't the cheapest eyeliner ever but it's so pigmented which is what I look for in an eyeliner. 
     You can purchase the quickliner here.

Now for the lips!

     Since I bought 'Rebel' by MAC a few months ago, it has become my fail-safe lipstick to carry around in my bag. Despite it being quite dark in the tube, it comes out lighter on the lips and I think you can wear it during the day or for a night out. The berry/plum colour is perfect for the cooler months of the year. I even wrote an article about it, amongst other things, which you can read here!

      The bright red beauty in the gorgeous gold packaging is a lipstick that was part of the Estee Lauder Michael Kors giveaway. It's packed with vitamins so it keeps your lips super soft and nourished. For a red lip, it has great staying power, although it is quite glossy when applied.
     I reserve this lipstick for special occassions only, as I don't want it to run out!

     Last but not least, Revlon Just Bitten Kissable balm stain. I was a bit dubious about these balm stains because I tried one on the lighter coloured ones on the back of my hand a while ago and just thought it looked like very faded lipstick.
     However, this one (Crush 005) is a lovely plum shade, much like 'Rebel' and moisturises my lips a treat.    

Does anyone have any fave products of 2012 that I should be coveting?!

All I Want For Christmas Is...

    Most people would think a 23-year-old woman would be too old to still have a Christmas wish list.

    Not me.

    Being a student and all, times are hard. Especially living so far away from home, with no parents at my beck and call. Despite enjoying my time in the U.S., I don't have a part-time job here, so I can't justify spending a lot of money on things that I don't necessarily need.

    So, when I return home in 10 days time, I am expecting to be showered with gifts, (hint hint.) And of course, like every year, I expect I'll be bought some makeup items. 

    Last year, my lovely dad bought me some MAC makeup brushes, which are very expensive but made a very happy Zoe. If I remember correctly, he bought the wrong ones, so my mum sent him back to the shop to get the right ones. 

    Here's some items that I wouldn't mind finding in my stocking this year...

Soleil tan de Chanel - Bronzer

    I've read wonderful things about this gorgeous, albeit very expensive Chanel bronzer. I'm getting a tad tired of my Nars Laguna, so this would make a nice change.

Clinique quickliner intense

    I've already written a post about this Clinique eyeliner, but despite having had it for only a few months, I've used it so often that its nearly ran out. The colour is so pigmented, and its very durable.

Urban Decay - Naked Basics eyeshadow palette

    This is the third 'naked' palette from Urban Decay, and unlike the other two, the shadows in this palette are all completely matte, whereas the others contained more shimmery shades than matte. Having used the first naked palette daily for almost a year now, I'd love to try this new one, as they're the perfect shades for me.

    Are there any new must-have products out on the market that I should be aware on to stick on my list?!

Budget Beauty Buys in Dollar Tree

    The American store Dollar Tree is rapidly becoming one of my weekly go-to stores. It is the American equivalent of Poundland in Britain, and us Brits love a bargain, so naturally I was overjoyed when I first encountered Poundland's stateside counter-part.

    Dollar Tree works the same way as Poundland, every item in the store is one dollar, and whilst there are hoardes of things you wouldn't even buy your dog, once in a while you can come across some hidden gems. 

    Today I bought three items, and although they certainly aren't the most exciting beauty products I've ever purchased, (I go to MAC for that) I know I'll definitely get some use out of them.

NYC Loose Face Powder in Translucent

    Despite this colour being too light for me, if used in moderation and in the right places, it gives a nice glow to my skin and helps my makeup stay in place.

NYC Blushable Creme Stick in Urban Spice

    Another NYC product, this is a cream blush that blends really easily onto the skin. I've been using a Real Techniques buffing brush to apply this, as I think it adjusts better to the skin when used with a brush rather than fingers. The colour looks dark in the packaging, but if it's used sparingly, it contours the cheekbones very well, and adds a sllight shimmer.

How cute?! Tiny 7up bottle lip gloss

     Being a sucker for cute things in every shape and form, I couldn't resist this little lipgloss. It smells and tastes exactly like the drink, and although it doesn't have the best staying power, it gives the lips a nice moisturising sheen. Plus, the packaging is the main reason I bought it, it was just too adorable to pass up!

Swatches; from left to right - NYC blush, NYC loose powder and 7up lip gloss

Has anyone else ever found any great beauty bargains in Dollar Tree?

The Ugly Truth of Tanning

    

     Now that summer is over and winter is rearing its chilly and sunless head, people all over the country will be opting to use tanning beds to recreate their summer glow.

    However, sun bed users need to be aware that indoor tanning causes over 170,000 cases of non-melanoma skin cancer in the U.S. every year, according to researchers at UC San Francisco.

    The study, conducted by medical students and professors, examined the danger of exposure to tanning beds during a person’s early life, amongst other hazards.

    Based upon data from three separate studies, using tanning beds before the age of 25 was strongly related to the development of squamous cell carcinoma, which is a type of skin cancer that usually occurs on the upper body, for example hands, face and neck.

Different types of skin cancer

     In fact, researchers found that tanning bed users are 67 percent more likely to develop squamous cell carcinoma and a further 29 percent are likely to develop basal cell carcinoma.

    Although these two types of cancers are non-malignant, according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine, they can grow quickly and spread to other parts of the body, such as internal organs and lymph nodes, where they can become fatal.

    Some local governments are jumping into the fray with legislation.

    Springfield, Illinois, is one of the latest cities to ban minors from using tanning beds. Owners of tanning beds that allow people under the age of 18 to use them will be fined up to $750, according to the State Journal Register.

    Many of these policies came into play after the media storm surrounding ‘Tanning Mom’ Patricia Krentcil. Krentcil was arrested and charged with second degree child endangerment when it was alleged she had been taking her 6-year-old daughter into tanning booths. 

'Tanning Mom' Patricia Krentcil and her daughter. Did she seriously not realise how ridiculous she looked?

   However, despite the renowned dangers and increased risk of developing cancer from tanning beds, according to an article in the New York Post, Krentcil insisted she is no different from any other mother, who enjoys simple life pleasures like nail polishing or food.

   And according to a report by the Skin Cancer Foundation, tanning has become an addiction to some people. The study cites that 70 percent of frequent UV tanners met criteria for UV light substance abuse, with many tanners missing events in order to tan instead. 

No-one wants to end up like this...