17 Magnetized nail polish

A while ago, I watched a video posted on YouTube by Boots. It featured their upcoming Magnetized nail polish, and I immediately knew I would be buying it as soon as it was released. You can see the video here.

The polish is available in purple, green, blue and gunmetal grey.  As I already have a lot of purples and greens, and had purchased a similar grey colour earlier in the day, I decided to go for the blue.

It's a really nice shimmery blue, with a hint of purple, and it's actually a colour I would choose even if it wasn't a special one.

The bottle comes with a detachable lid on top of the screw lid with the brush. On top of the detachable part is a magnet, which is where the magic comes in.

For the most effective results, I found it best to apply one thin coat and allow it to completely dry. Then, apply a much thicker coat, and while the polish is still wet, hover the magnet over the nail for around 10 seconds. You have to be careful not to let the magnet touch the polish, but there is a little arc that you rest on your finger to help prevent this.

When finished, you get an amazing instant nail art effect. The magnet causes the polish to get darker in certain areas, making a wave pattern. It also changes direction depending on how you hold the magnet, so you can easily achieve a contrasting effect on each nail.

The formula of the polish is very thick and somewhat gloopy, but I suppose it's necessary to create the best effect possible. 

The lovely blue colour creates an effect akin to ocean waves, and to really appreciate the beauty of it, you need to move your nails around under the light. As far as quick and easily achieved nail art goes, this is my favourite of all I have tried. It's incredibly simple, anyone can do it themselves at home, and at £6 a bottle, it's also really affordable.

Lush bath ballistic - Sakura

There are few things in life I enjoy more than the smell of a Lush shop. It’s a special kind of fragrance - the unique mix of all their products. Most of which, I love the smell of. Some I’m not so keen on. But they all mix together into a wonderful ball of wonderfulness.

Sakura is one of my favourite fragrances of all time. It contains mimosa, gardenia and jasmine, as well as orange flower and lemon oil, giving the product an undertone of a citrus fragrance. 

This is one of Lush’s bigger bath bombs at 200g - about the size of a tennis ball, and hence one of the more expensive at £3.25. Seems quite expensive for a one bath product, I know. But their bath bombs are a lovely treat - I normally use one a week when I’m indulging in some ‘me’ time. 

I bought this last weekend, before I had decided to create this blog, and figured I might as well do a review on it. Then I realised it doesn’t really do much in the bath, other than smell nice. Nevertheless, it’s still one of my favourite products, and the lack of colour, glitter etc might actually appeal to some people.

The ballistic itself is really pretty. A white base with flecks of pink and a turquoise blue. There’s also a patch of pink and blue sea salt at one end. 

Despite it’s size, Sakura is really quick to fizz and dissolve away. I suppose the lack of hidden surprises means that there is nothing to slow it down. In the water, it fizzes white and lets off a bit of a creamy foam that feels nice in the water - not at all oily. There’s nothing specific in Sakura to moisturise your skin, but I always feel that bit cleaner and softer when I use a bath ballistic. 

Overall, I would definitely recommend this product, especially if you’re not a fan of overly coloured and/or glittery bath products.

Manicure Monday: Princess Nails - 17 Lilac Storm and OPI Teenage Dream

It's my first ever proper post, and I'm cheating already. I know I said I wasn't really going to feature the more expensive nail polish brands, but I was given an OPI mini as a gift, so it still falls into my under £10 category.

This manicure is the exact opposite of what I normally wear. Baby pink is really not my thing. Normally, I wear darker colours, though more and more brights and pastels have been sneaking into my collection.

I bought Lilac Storm from 17 when Boots had a special offer on. Despite the name, and how it looks in the bottle under some lights, it is definitely very pink. It looked like it had a really nice shimmer in the bottle, so I thought I'd give it a try. It sat in amongst my other pinks for quite some time, and I had intended to use it for a water marble manicure. But then I looked at Teenage Dream, and thought they would go perfectly together.

The formula of Lilac Storm is awful. It's very sheer, and after three coats it was somewhat streaky. If I wasn't planning to add Teenage Dream on top, I probably would have given up on it, and used something else instead. But, I persevered, and once I added a coat of Teenage Dream, the streaks were unnoticeable.

By the time I was finished, I felt like a 90s prom dress. Baby pink is definitely not my thing, but I have to admit, even I don't hate it. Who can resist sparkles?

Beauty on a Budget

After spending most of my life as a tomboy, I've recently discovered my girly side. Since then, I have been gradually building my make up collection, bit by bit. 

I'm sure there are thousands of blogs featuring reviews, swatches etc of the higher end make up brands. My aim is to feature products that cost me less than £10 (usually a lot less). This includes the cheaper cosmetic brands, as well as bargains found in the sales, and the occasional gift, which might be higher end. 

My particular obsession is nail polish, so you will find a lot of posts dedicated to it. My collection seems to grow week by week, and I love trying out different brands and finding amazing new colours. 

I'm trying to experiment more and more, and not rely on my every day look that I have (hopefully!) perfected now.