When one colour isn't enough...

I'm a very indecisive person. There are many things I cant decide on, what to make for dinner, what to order in a restaurant (I usually make my BF order for me!) what shoes to wear, what Mason should wear today (my most common problem -I hate it if he's not dressed nicely!) I've got so many things coming up and I don't know what to wear for any of them, date night with Sam, lunch with the in-laws, a day at the zoo, shopping in Bluewater with the girls, a spa day with my best mate, a hen party... (such hard work! honestly, any send any ideas this way!) Another thing I can never decide is what colour to paint my nails.

Today I had a few spare moments and my leather effect was starting to chip so it was time to sort out the toenails. I just couldn't decide on a colour so a mixture of colours was the obvious choice.

Excuse the feet pics -they are never nice! But try and concentrate on the nail colours and it ill be bearable!

So on my big toe I have an all time favourite Models Own Lilac dream, this is my second bottle of this and I just love it! Next is Barry M Blueberry,  then Gosh Venus which is new for this spring. After that is a lesser known brand BYS in Pretty as a Peach. We used to give these away in goody bags at work and of course I had to treat myself to one or two bottles! and on my little toe is the gorgeous Essie Cocktail Bling.

I think multi coloured toenails might be the way forward, I'll definitely be doing this more!

Nails Inc Leather Effect Review

I have to admit I haven’t been too keen on the whole textured nail polish thing. I loved the crackle polish when Barry M first released that but when magnetic followed, then the caviar, then fur, feather, concrete… I have to say it got a bit much for me. I thought “Can’t nails just be nails?!”

But I was swayed when I came across Nails Inc leather effect while doing some late night window shopping on the net while the boys were sleeping.

Before I knew it curiosity got the better of me and I’d clicked 'add to bag' and it was being sent to me in 3 to 5 working days.

I’m a lover of black polish, it's my go-to colour when I'm not feeling too adventurous but don't want to go for nude. Usually a very glossy look is what I go for so this was something pretty different for me. According to my boyfriend I’ve been sporting the ‘rock chick look’ quite a lot lately. I guess leggings, disco pants, leather jackets and boots have been my winter look -and this polish adds to the look perfectly!

So to the nail polish itself. Well it’s Nails inc, I knew I wasn’t going to be disappointed, they have always impressed me with the consistency of their polish.The shade is "Noho" which is black with a leather looking texture. The lid of the bottle wowed me from the word go with its faux leather coating. I applied one coat to my nails and I was so impressed. I didn’t have to worry about going over itself like you do with the crackle polishes, I was pretty careless with the application if I'm honest! The results are great! They don’t exactly look like a leather sofa or anything but they definitely have that rock chic look about them! They're certainly something a bit different without being too out there. I’ve never been keen on a matt finish but I do really like how this looks! I was tempted to add a top coat to give them the shine that I'm used to but they advise against that.  I do keep stroking them though, I guess it’s cos I’m used to having glossy nails so it's all new to me!

This will definitely be taking place of my black glossy polish for the time being, at least until it's time to properly crack out the neons and bright corals of summer!

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Models Own Neon Ice Collection

Look what came today!!

I'm so excited to try these out! Tonight it's all about a bit of pampering, I figure they're going to look best with a tan so it's time to get that out and give my nails a treat!

I will be doing a post on these soon but for now I just wanted to share my excitement!

ARK Skincare

You’ll probably be aware that I’ve been trying out some new skincare over the last few months. I’ve really been enjoying it, and it’s really making a huge difference.

I recently came across ARK skincare. This brand was new to me and I’m always keen to give a new brand a try. They have 3 ranges, catering for 3 age groups. Teens to early 30’s, mid 30’s to 50’s and 50’s and beyond. After having so much success with the Elemis Freshskin  which is aimed at the teens to 20’s market I thought this was going to be a winner. They look at your skin changing needs as you age and cater their products specifically to treat them.

 I tried out the Age Prepare Skin Purifying Masque and the Age Prepare Skin Clear Cleanser for the Teens to early 30’s.

What they say-

Age Prepare - Teens to Early 30's - During this period our skin is at its peak but it's important to prepare for the ageing process by maximising the quality of the skin and taking preventative measures against future insults.  It's never too early to protect yourself from damage caused by the sun and environmental factors with powerful antioxidants.

The packaging really impressed me, it really looks like a luxury product, where Elemis made it pink and girly, they’ve still kept it sophisticated and a little more grown up. 

I got straight to it and tried out the cleanser...

Age Prepare skin clear Cleanser 200ml £22

 “Our soap-free facial cleanser has been designed especially with younger skin in mind. It cleverly balances oily and dry areas to leave skin clear and comfortable. Natural ingredients ensure skin is treated gently while spots and excess sebum are banished. Your new best friend”

The cleanser is packed of natural ingredients such as Watercress, Nettle and Horsetail which are potent herbs which reduce excess sebum and balance skin.

 Oat Amino Acids wash away skin impurities without damaging skin’s natural barrier.

White Tea and vitamin E which reduce the appearance of skin damage from the sun.

The pump makes the product very easy to dispense and I only needed 2 or 3 pumps to cover my face. It has that ‘organic smell’ –if that makes sense? A bit like a spa? It’s a smooth consistency that doesn’t foam up, you can feel it sinking in to get rid of all the impurities. It is soap free so helps balance oily and dry areas to leave the skin clear.

It removed all traces of make up –even mascara! And my skin feels softer from the second it’s rinsed off. I found it less drying than the Freshskin face wash  much more moisturising. I’m putting that down to the good old vitamin E!

I’ve been using this a week now and I’ve already noticed that my skin is a lot more manageable and less oily. My make up is even lasting longer as there is a batter base for it.

  

Afterwards I decided to slap on the facemask. I’ve not used a mask in such a long time. I don’t want to play the mum card here, but I just haven’t found the time! So this was a nice treat to just relax for ten minutes.

Age Prepare Skin Purifying Masque 75ml £25

 “For congested skin our purifying masque is ideal. A marvellous multi-tasker, it absorbs excess oil, reduces the size of pores and diminishes blemishes. Skin is left feeling calm and clear. Drama over”

The Kaolin Clay is said to heal blemishes and prevents new ones from forming which is always a plus!
 Wild Water Mint reduces the size of enlarged pores and
 Anti-pollution Algae prevents skin damage from free radicals.

I smoothed on a thin layer, the scent is the same as the cleanser, it's not too overpowering at all. It dried very quickly and I did the typical thing of trying not to laugh and crack it. It reminded me of being about 14 at a girly sleepover when we’d all do mini facial on each other! As it's so light I wasn't bothered by the feel of it drying, so much so that I forgot about it and left it on for an extra 5 minutes.

It was really easy to remove, I just rinsed it off with warm water and my skin instantly felt great. It wasn't red or tight and it felt really soft.

I was really impressed, it is really worth trying if your skin feels congested. It’s recommended that you use this once or twice a week so I will definitely be making an excuse to use this more often.

I have to admit I have fallen in love with this brand. They are well worth the price and I will definitely be looking into going for a treatment at their salons in the future!

You can purchase these goodies here

Have you tried anything from Ark Skincare?

Tanatomicals Instant Spray Tan in a Can

Is it just me or do you always want to fake tan after putting on new bed sheets? It seems to always be the way for me!

So even after changing the sheets, when I received a little package from Tanatomicals I was keen to try them out.

I've tried out Tanatomicals before, I used then for the first time last summer and if I'm honest I sort-of forgot about them. I blame the lack of sun! I noticed I was looking a bit pale and when I got to try out the brilliantly named (yet a bit of a mouthful!) 'Me Tarzan, you Jane, we cheaters instant spray tan in a can' and 'Because only bacon should be streaky natural look tanning cream'… I was happy to say the least.

I went for the instant spray first.

One of my favourite things about a tanning spray is how easy it is to apply. You just spray and go. Just make sure its applied evenly from about 15cm away to provide a light mist and you won't get any wet patches or build up.

It dries almost instantly so there's no standing about all cold and naked or walking about like a penguin while it dries!


I got my boyfriend in on the action to do my back for me. Even he was surprised how simple it was. You can see exactly where it goes on so it's nice and even.

Straight away you have a golden glow which continues to develop over 8 hours. I applied before bed and showered the next morning and was left with a lovely colour with no streaking or patchiness.

The smell has to be favourite thing about it, It's quite fruity almost like Tropical Batiste Dry Shampoo, definitely not like any tan I've smelt before!

For a budget fake tan this is brilliant, for ease of use alone the £7 is a complete steal!

I've got the tanning cream to try next which I'll be sure to blog about when I do...

Even Mason seems to like them!