From Russia with love

I have always wanted to go to Russia, I've seen it on countless TV programmes but I truly fell in love with it when I saw it on one of Anthony Bourdain's shows.  It was the furry hats and the thick snow that drew me in.

I'm not ashamed to say that I let out a squeal of delight when I was told I'd be going.  I got an email the other day from someone who was going on holiday to Moscow and they asked which products helped me keep my skin in decent condition whilst I was there.

Here's what I took..

1. Aveeno Skin Moisturising Lotion.  I have reviewed this before (click here).  My skin is drier than the Sahara as it is so I was applying this like it was going out of fashion in Moscow.  It kept my properly hydrated and for that I am very grateful.
2. Purity Organic Skincare Facial Moisturiser.  I am really loving this brand, I raved about their cleansing makeup remover and I have just as much love for this face cream.  It manages to hydrate my skin (which was going through a horrible dry, flaky patch before I started using this) without making me greasy.  The only issue I first had with it is that it feels a bit too solid and you have to work it into your hands and then into your skin but I have found that the massaging part helps really sink the cream in.  I used more of this in Moscow than I would in England and it did a brilliant job of keeping me moisturised without turning me greasy which is no mean feat.
3. Jessica Nails Nourish Cuticle Formula.  I have reviewed this before and of all the cuticle smooth makers (we're hot on technical terms around these parts) this is the best one I have ever used.  I was using this every morning and every night whilst in Moscow.  It also helped keep the finger tips moisturised and it healed up a cut I had on my thumb in record speed.  This is seen as a product you think you don't really need but once you start using it, you do wonder why you didn't start earlier.
4. Carmex Lip Balm.  I love this.  I've mentioned this before.  I forgot to use it on the first day and my lips were crying out for it come the evening.  I applied copious amounts of this and it never failed to work.
5. Aveeno Hand Cream.  You will see that I took two hand creams out with me, this is because I rely too much on it.  This moisturises my hands like no other so it was the first thing I put in my skincare bag.
6. Liz Earle Superskin Concentrate.  I love this for many reasons.  Firstly, it works.  It looks like a mixture between oil and water (ha!) and I find it is a very indulgent product.  This is the kind of product that I can imagine someone with a dressing table having.  The kind of person who has time to sit down at the end of a day/start of a day and look into a massive mirror whilst savouring the products they are using.  I do not have time for this..and even if I did..I don't have a dressing table (boo!) The directions say to warm it up in your hands but I find it warms itself up once it touches skin.  In England, I just used on my face and was done with it but in Moscow I decided to rub it on the decolletage because touching that part of your body is quite comforting when you're freezing *ahem*.  It doesn't leave behind a greasy film and just gets to work overnight.  My skin always looks better in the morning for having used it.  I can see it lasting me ages as one pump is all I need (double entendre FTW).
7. Anatomicals Help the Paw.  I love love love using this whilst in London as it gives me the perfect amount of moisture. My hands also really dry out when I'm on the aeroplane and this cream is the perfect consistency to moisturise but also not leave my hands so greasy that I can't hold a glass/fork/knife.

Now, about Russia.  I still love it.  If you've seen it on TV and it looks magical..just wait til you get there.  I went to Moscow and I have fallen in love with it.  I went to Prague earlier this year and announced that it had stolen my heart..it is now my bit on the side, Moscow is my love.  Me being the idiot I am wanted to know how cold -25 °C actually was so I decided to go out in the dead of night.  It was freezing..well, about 25 degrees MORE than freezing.  We did the old "take out a glass of water and see how quickly it freezes" experiment.  It was about 2 seconds before we saw little icy bits forming.

Jessica Nails Daydream Spring 2010 Collection.

I know I'm a bit slow on the uptake with these but in my defence, I didn't have nails when these first came out so I wasn't really eyeing up nail polishes.  I think my thing at the time was nose pore strips..which are clearly sexier than nail polish.

Anyway, these are the spring 2010 colours released by Jessica Nails:

"Escape the ordinary and bring fantasy to your fingertips with Daydream, the spring 2010 collection from Jessica. These six inspiring new colours capture the optimism of spring; from shimmering pastels to vibrant shades of pink and orange, there’s a perfect shade for every daydreamer. So dare to dream of beautiful nails with Jessica’s Daydream."

 I quite like the fact that the colours are "Springy", in the season senes of the term, no conical references!  I've found that some brands tend to confuse Spring and Summer and release more summery tones in their Spring collections.

I don't have an out and out favourite but Cloud Mine and Flight of Fancy are currently fighting it out.  I really love Revlon's Minted but it's a bit bright to wear to work and Cloud Mine looks like the work safe option.

Each polish costs £8.95 and you can buy them from Jessica salons. 

What are your faves from the collection? And do you let the seasons dictate the colour of nail polish you wear? I spoke to some ladies at work recently and they said that they only wear light shades in the Summer and dark shades in the Winter.  FYI I'm currently wearing a dark red...

Review: Jessica Nails Nourish Cuticle Formula

I've been growing my nails for nearly two months now and they're coming on nicely, I've gotten over the casualties as the growth rate on the other nails has placated me greatly.

As I haven't had nails before, I didn't (read: still don't) know how to take care.  I'm not ashamed to say that I didn't know what cuticles were up until a few weeks ago but now I'm fully up to speed on all this nail talk.

I wanted my nails to grow a bit faster so I decided to raid my Jessica Nails goody bag which I won on Twitter.  I call it a goody bag despite the fact that you can actual buy it as an item.

The packaging looks battered because it has been lolling around in my handbag, when I first got it, it was immaculate and the writing on the lid was not chipped at all.

Jessica Nails say it is "an all-time classic cuticle therapy, this pure blend of antioxidant vitamins and healing agents provides instant hydration and continuous moisture to nourish and soothe cuticles and nails. It feeds the matrix of the nail as it’s massaged in to stimulate circulation and growth."

I say that they're bang on.  This is the first cuticle cream I have ever used and I don't think I will use another.  I know a lot of people swear by Lemony Flutter from LUSH but I didn't like the smell of that so I decided to use this up.  When I had my manicure at LFW, Heather used this on my fingers and said it would help in repairing "rips" in my skin.

I like the way it comes in a small sized tub because you can just chuck it in your bag and leave it on your desk without it looking like you've opened up a nail bar.

You only need a really tiny amount and it rubs in really quickly.  If, like me, you're a bit heavy handed, your fingers will look greasy but it sinks in quickly so you're not left with a film on your fingers.

Here's what the product looks like:

I've been using it for a bit more than 2 weeks and it is still going strong, there is a lot left in the tub.

The smell is also pretty nice, the best word I can use to describe the smell is delicate..but not overly girly.  I know that description is really helpful ;) I find that it doesn't smell cheap or too rich.  It's basically the kind of smell you can live with on your fingers...and that sentence sounded better in my head than it does typed out.

Does it do everything it says?
Healing agents which provide instant hydration? Check. It really moisturised my nail area when I put it on, it sunk it and afterwards my nail are felt a lot softer.  I also had a "rip" on the skin at the bed of the nail on my right hand thumb and after a few applications of Nourish, the rip was totally gone.  I forgot to take a photo of said thumb which is typical.

Nourished and soothed cuticles and nails? Yep, after using this my nails felt SUPER smooth, even without nail polish on, they looked shinier and felt stronger.

Growth and circulation stimulated? Yes, my nails have been growing faster since I've started using this.

Here's what it looks like before I rub it in:

Purchase?
When mine runs out, I'm deffo going to buy some.  I never knew that products like this could give you these kinds of results.  I thought that you only got really good nails through taking those nail vitamins and eating tonnes of fresh produce.

You can buy Nourish here.

Project Grow Your Own: A while since week 4

Well, it's been a while since I last showed off how my nails were growing on here.

I've had my Jessica Nails manicure (which was gor diddly orgeous) and I've applied polish a few times myself (both with favourable and non favourable results).

The one thing I've been doing consistently with my nails is applying this:

I'm more than happy with most of them, apart from one that broke because it was damaged and the two that snapped themselves because I kept nibbling them :( In my defence, they only broke this week.

I've also got a problem, can any of you nail-y gals help me out? Scroll down and you will see it, it's nothing gross!

FOTD: Fail of the day featuring me, Sally Hansen and Nails Inc

My Jessica Nails manicure started chipping the other day and I kept going with it until it started to look totally raggedy.  On Tuesday, I decided that I'd paint my nails as soon as I got home.

So, come 5 p.m. I found myself striding through my front door like a woman on a mission.  I found the polish, "de worked" myself (changed my skirt for pj bottoms and my top for my favourite t-shirt stolen from the Simon fund) and decided to start painting my nails.

The colour I chose was Motcomb Street by Nails Inc.  I've never been shy to proclaim my love for Nails Inc polishes in the past and I never took much notice when people said they found the polishes to be streaky and the brushes to be dodgy, I just assumed they had bought a bad one.

Anyway, I sat down, got the brush out for a polish which looked decidedly like a dark petrol blue.  I took the brush out and applied it and the polish was green! There was no indication from looking at the bottle that it would be green but I didn't mind as this colour was equally nice so I started to apply the first (thin) coat.

In short, it didn't work, the brush was dodgy and didn't take the colour too well, it applied really streaky and I had to apply a massively thick coat just to cover my nail.

I vented about this on Twitter and was told by other bloggers that their freebie Nails Inc polishes were a bit dodgy and also that Nails Inc polishes are like a lottery, some good, some bad.

This experience makes me think twice about Nails Inc, I hadn't noticed this until now but I seldom reach for Nails Inc anymore, I either pick up my George@ASDA polishes or my Jessica Nails ones.  The other Nails Inc polishes I use seem to be deteriorating in quality too but the brushes are fine.

I took a photo so you could see the actual colour and the horrible application job, I blame the polish and brush for the polish on my skin because I had to redo parts of the nail due to streakiness:

The biggest loser in this story is Nails Inc, I was going to buy some more of their polishes during my lunchbreak at work tomorrow as they have a salon down by Canary Wharf station but now I'm not going to bother..

The two winners of the story are me (naturally) and Sally Hansen.

I bought this from the Pound Shop the other day:

I really like it.  However, there is a problem.  The smell.  It smells really strong, so strong that I had to stand by an open window and use it and even then I could still smell it.  If you have young kids, I wouldn't use it anywhere near them because it does really whiff.  I made the mistake of smelling it and it whooshed up my nostrils super fast.

It contains no acetone but it dried my fingers out a bit, I wouldn't use it every day and if you moisturise your hands, you won't realise a difference.  It also contains Keratin which I know is good for your nails!

Anyway, it's a sponge in a jar and you just dip your fingers in and it cleans them, I've done a little step by step thingy so you can see that it actually works:

I'd already taken my finger out of the sponge when I took this shot, it took all the polish off the nail.

You can get this in different smells, namely a lemon scented version and an apricot scented version.

Have you ladies had any fail varnish (see what I did there?) experiences? Don't be shy, share them with the group!

London Fashion Week: Part 3: The manicure!

Before I attended LFW I was asked if I wanted a complimentary manicure and for someone who has been growing her nails, I'd have been a fool to say no.

The EdC show finished and I hung around a bit waiting to find someone who could take me backstage.  The staff were, to their credit very helpful and polite.  I don't think I could have been so polite if my work day had of been so hectic.

I was finally led to the backstage entry and given this:

I went on through to the media room and was introduced to Heather from Jessica Nails by Mary Tabitha (also from Jessica Nails).

Heather sat me down and asked me questions about my nails and what I wanted from the manicure and so I started rambling about how I'd been growing them and how one was a bit funny (anti biotic nail) but how now I was pleased that I had a surface where you could put more than a milimetre of nail polish.

She was really patient and listened to everything I had to say and explained which products would be best for my nails.

The manicure itself was my first ever manicure and I now have very high standards for any which follow.  I can't remember the order in which Heather applied products because I didn't think to write it down as soon as I got home but I don't have it totally out of sync.

Everything that was used on me was by Jessica Nails so I'll just state the name of the product.

First, Heather removed my clear nail polish with this and then got me to soak my fingers in some warm water.  I don't know if it was plain warm water or if it was diluted with a Jessica Nails product.  My fingers and were dried and Heather applied some Nourish Cuticle Formula and worked that into my cuticles (I have this in the Jessica Nails giveaway that I won on Twitter but was never sure how to use it but I do know now).  I asked a million and one questions about what cuticles were (I had no idea) and she explained what they were and how to make sure that you are removing only cuticle and not parts of the nail/skin.

Heather then applied some Phenomenon Oil to the cuticle area and massaged it in.  My cuticles were then pushed back by a vibrating machine thingy which looked painful but totally wasn't.  My nails keep getting really dirty underneath and despite me having cleaned them a million and one times during the day, they still had dirt under them so Heather took a wooden stick thingy (which I've since learnt is called an orangewood stick) and took the dirt out from under my nails.

My cuticles were then trimmed with a cuticle trimmer (shocker, I know!) and some more Nourish Cuticle Formula was rubbed in.

My nails were then filed into a round shape which I was told was the best and strongest shape for nails.  I didn't really notice a difference until I properly examined my nails the day after, they looked a lot more "professional" in shape.

My nails were brushed with warm water to get any of the excess cuticle off my hands.  I soaked them again and they were dried and ready for painting.

Heather applied Reward (a basecoat) and then two coats of the nail polish I chose (I really should have asked for the name!)

Oh, I forgot to mention this.  I asked about my anti biotic nail (ring finger nail) and Heather said that the actual nail had been injured and that this was why there was a ridge in it but she did have a product for it so that nail got a special coating with Flawless which helps to even out nails with bumps and ridges.

I asked about drying times and was told that Jessica Nails nail polish works itself into the nail and by the time you've completed your last nail, the first one is dry.

After two coats of polish, a top coat (Brilliance) was applied and once that had dried Heather added a drop of Quick Dry to each of my nails so that the polish would dry quicker.

One thing I was mighty impressed with was the high standard of hygiene, Heather cleaned her hands with a sanitiser after every single step which is something I have never seen a manicurist do before (I've seen them carried out, never had one myself).

This is the finished product and the pics don't do the brilliance of the manicure any favour, it was looking mint when I had it done but I had to get things out of my bag and pockets and so there were some slight imperfections, all my fault though :(  I took the first two pics on the Tube so the bumps and wobbly bits are reflections. 

This is how they looked when I was back home:

I didn't think to ask the name of the colour I chose to go on my nails but it's a very nice dark purple/plummy affair and I love it.

The manicure lasted from Sunday until Friday and I've decided that when my nails are a bit longer, I'm going to get another Jessica Nails manicure.

NOTD (woot woot): Jessica Nails Black Ice (and a mini-ish review)

I won this polish along with some other Jessica Nails items back in December.

There is already a post on what I won (check it out here).  This polish was the standout polish me for, not in terms of application but in terms of the stunning colour.  All the colours that I recieved are fantastic but this is my favourite.  It's very hard to photograph and I had to edit the pics to get the true colour out (and even then it's about 100 times better).

Black Ice is the name of this beauty.  It's a shiny, glossy black with palpable bits of smooth glitter in it.  I say smooth because you do get nail polishes which have gritty glitter in them.  This, however, is not one of them.  Once the polish is dry, you can run your fingertips over the polish and it's all smooth. 

   

You know how sometimes you get a nail polish with glitter in it and you have to apply it five times to get a decent glitter coverage on the nail? One coat with this gives you proper glitter coverage. Also, you know how sometimes, you apply a glittery polish only to find that the glitter has worn off? This isn't the case, the glitter stays put.  I've washed dished and handwashed some clothes and it hasn't come off.

Another thing I love about it is the fact that it's two polishes in one.  You know I wax lyrical about makeup that saves time, well this beauty saves money.  After one coat, it's a nice sheer colour and after two, its "unsheer".

Pardon the dodgy application, I'm a noob as most you know.  This is the polish after two coats

I keep thinking of more things to like about this polish, if you have no patience then Jessica Nails are the polishes for you, if you apply a second coat whilst the first is wet, you get no smears and it blends in seamlessly.

I still get urges to chew my nails but the prettyness of this polish prevents me from wanting to touch them.  It's been on a few days now and I'm having no chips and the colour hasn't faded either.

I'm not sure if the brush is a different shape to other brushes but it applied really nicely, no gloopy messes and the brush was a nice "bump" kind of shape.

I've left the best til the end.  The smell of the polish is like no other.  When I applied it, I couldn't smell the usual polish smell.  When it dries, it smells like Southern Comfort..something which is never a bad thing!

In short, I love this.

Black Ice retails for £8.95 and can be bought here.

Jessica Nails

Some time last week I entered a Jessica Nails giveaway on Twitter and I subsequently won (it would kinda defeat the purpose of this post if I hadn't).

Now, I'm a nailbiter and for some reason I've never been able to stop for a significant period of time. I've grown my nails for parties etc..but they've been bitten as soon as the party is over.  The last time I managed to grow a single nail to a decent length was when I swatched the ASDA nail polish.

The fact that I'm a chronic nailbiter has not, however, prevented me from amassing a million and one nail varnishes so I was still pretty happy that I'd won this giveaway.  I'd never heard of Jessica Nails before this and I'm saddened by that as these nail polishes are great for oh so many reasons.

Anyway, before I get into that, here's what I won..

Look how rammed that little bag of goodies is. I'm going to take a second (read 150000 minutes) to go on about the packaging. I got the package on Saturday morning at 7.30 a.m. Usually, the postie would have had to leave it at the door but because I was up for a desi function anyway, I was more than happy to grab the box.  Fast forward 10 minutes and Mr Ross is going mad because I'm sitting in my dressing gown ogling my goodies. Fast forward 20 minutes and Mr Ross is somewhat placated as I've finally managed to get dressed and put my makeup on and hide the goodies (just incase we get burgled, because you know, nail varnish is the first thing those skanky burglars will take).

The box was a standard cardboard box but was packed with both massive bubblewrap and those funky S shaped polystyrene thingies you get. I was super excited when I saw the pink bag above, namely for the cute little nail varnish tag..

How gorgeous is that? The tag explains the contents of the little bag.  The visually and mentally astute amongst you will realise that the bag in the photo above contains more than is detailed on the back of the label.  That's because the folk at Jessica's Nails also sent me four nail varnishes.

These are the goodies I got in the bag:

A nail file which I found looks very classy (as far as nail files go), some hand/foot emulsion (I love that name), some cuticle care bits and an oil. Now, I'm a complete proper nail care novice so I'll be Googling how to use the certain bits. I've only smelt the pink cuticle care cream and it smells really nice, I can't place the smell but it will come to me.

I got four nail varnishes, two were of a larger size and two were smaller.  The two larger ones were Black Ice (a gorgeous black with palpable glitter in it which applies sheer after one coat and not sheer (?) after a second coat) and Midnight Mist.  Midnight mist is a really dark purply affair.

I'm a bit confused about the two smaller sizes because they came in their own cardboard box which simply stated "For your eyes only" on it.  At first I thought that was the name for both the shades (i.e. the name of the duo) but then I realised that it was the name of the purple polish.  Anyway, I'm not complaining as the colours are really nice and I assume that they're the travel sized versions. Even for a travel size, they're still pretty big.

I notice every little thing about stuff I buy/win and I feel that if the company go to an effort, someone should take notice of it. With the package I got a personal note from an employee at Jessica Nails and I also got this: 

I'm aware that everyone who won would have gotten the same thing but I loved the way the message on the back read as if it came from the heart. Plus, there is some great help inside if you have problem nails.

The only issue I have with the prize is one which is internal to me, that being my chronic nailbiting. You'd think that with diseases like swine flu doing the rounds that I'd have enough sense to not put my fingers in my mouth but in my defence, it's my nails, not my fingers (ha ha).  Anyway, I've decided to buy the Nibble No More from Jessica Nails because these polishes are far too nice to be hidden away on my toes or to be given to my mum (sorry, mum!) Hopefully that will work for me, I used a sponge dip version of that product before but it permeated onto food so I stopped using it.

The very next post will be a swatch/review of the nail polishes so stay tuned!