bloomzy /

Review: Born Pretty Holographic Nail Polish

Born Pretty Holographic Nail Polish*
Another nail polish to add to my ridiculously large collection!
This time it is a gorgeous silver holographic shade, with a very futuristic feel to it.
Left: After 2 coats, Right: After 4 coats
 
Pros:
+ Great shade
+ Applies easily
+ Amazing holographic finish
+ Can be worn sheer or opaque
 
Cons:
– 3+ coats are needed for an opaque finish
– Small bottle
 
Notes:
I love the shade of this polish, it’s so much nicer than other holographic polishes I’ve tried.
It applied very sheer to start with and it took me 4 coats to get an opaque finish (which I prefer).
However that does mean that this is kind of a 3-in-1 polish, meaning you could use to just add a bit of glitter to your fingertips, layer it with other colours, or you can wear it opaque. I was pretty impressed with the selection of shades available on the store too so I’ll definitely be checking out more of the collection.
You can purchase Born Pretty’s Holo Polish here, and view the other shades here.
bloomzy /

Review: Yuko Lock In Colour Shampoo & Treatment

Yuko Lock In Colour Shampoo & Treatment*

I’m a fan of Asian beauty products, as most of you will probably know by now.
When I was living in Japan of course I used Japanese shampoo and I quite liked it.
However after returning from Japan I switched to natural shampoos/conditioners instead.
So I was interested to try this Japanese shampoo/treatment duo when it arrived at my door.
I still use natural shampoos 99% of the time but I like to mix it up every now and again.
Founded by a Japanese hairstylist in 1996, Yuko is a well known brand for hair straightening techniques.
They have now branched out to include other products in the range such as shampoos & conditioners.
I was sent the Yuko Lock In Colour Shampoo & Treatment to try out.

Pros:
+ Plenty of product
+ Lathered well on my hair
+ Washed out easily

Cons:
– Dried my hair out
– I didn’t notice a scent

Notes:
I was so looking forward to using this but it just didn’t work out for me.
Naturally my hair is quite dry after washing but natural shampoos have remedied this.
However this duo dried my hair out and left it very frizzy. I’d like to say some of this is due to the lovely hot weather we’re having but these products are meant to help target that. It just seemed to be down to the shampoo and conditioner, which is a real shame. This is probably due to the fact that my hair hasn’t dealt with non-natural products for a long time (apart from dye). I also didn’t notice a scent, which is a shame because I love it when the fiancé comments on how nice my hair smells (slightly creepy, I know). I may give this another go at some point but unfortunately it just proved that natural is the way to go for me. This would be better suited to someone who uses non-natural products regularly.
bloomzy /

Christmas Presents from Germany & Japan

Christmas gifts from Rae, in Germany

Christmas gifts from Miyuki, in Japan

Christmas came a little early for me last week.
I was lucky enough to receive not one, but two packages through the post.
One was from the lovely Rae of Love from Berlin who is an amazing person that I met through blogging.
The other package was from one of my best friends in Japan who I studied with a couple of years ago.
Both gifts were amazing, and so very cool in their own ways.
I loved how both seemed to represent a little bit of the culture too.
Rae sent me some German chocolate (we all know it’s the best), magazines and make-up.
I can’t wait to try out the eyeshadow palette, it’s so very seasonal and the colours are gorgeous!
She also knows me very well by including some gorgeous glittery nail polish, which I will have already applied by the time this post goes live. I can’t help it, I’m an addict! 
Miyuki often asks me what I would like and I said I would like to try some new Japanese beauty products.
She also knows that I’ve just moved into my first apartment so sent me a few home items to decorate and relax with.
The nail polish, once again was a delight to receive, especially the Majolica Majorca glass polish – review soon!!
I also loved the Dior products and make-up bag. They’ve already been stashed away in my handbag.
I feel so lucky to know such wonderful people and I am very thankful ♥
bloomzy /

Review: Joliebox

Joliebox gift box from the Birchbox event*
When I attended the Birchbox champagne afternoon tea event last week I was gifted with a Joliebox.
If you didn’t see that post then you might be confused, but this is because Birchbox have taken over Joliebox.
If I remember correctly the box wasn’t a particular month, it was a mixture of products & previous month’s boxes.
The box contained samples from previous boxes and new items, such as:
– Twistband –
– Ritessens Exfoliant –
– RMK Cleansing Balm –
– L’Occitane Angelica Hydration Cream –
– Dr Bronner’s Pure-Castile Soap Pillows –
– Redken Protective Straightening Lotion –
This box was a great way to introduce someone to some of the wonderful brands that Joliebox has worked with.
It also shows you an example of what you might receive in a box; beauty, skincare, hair & lifestyle products, travel essentials, and even full size samples. Birchbox allows you to create a personal profile which your samples will be based on – which is a great feature, I hope they keep it when the takeover happens in January. The magazine is something which is unique to Joliebox and is very popular with a lot of subscribers, so it was nice to receive one with my box.
Joliebox will soon become Birchbox, and is a monthly beauty box service.
For £10 (plus postage) a month you will recieve 4-5 beauty samples to your door.
You can sign up and subscribe here.

bloomzy /

Photo Diary: Nail Art

A selection of my recent nail art / nail polish looks
 
One thing I always post on my Instagram is nail art photos.
I don’t do it very often on my blog though, unless I’m posting a tutorial.
So I thought it was about time that I showed off some of my recent nail art/nail polish looks.
Red Gloss & Glitter Mix – Maxfactor Red Passion & Barry M #np150
Halloween Black & Orange Glitter Gradient – Barry M #np147 & bornprettystore glitter pen
Holographic – 17 holo nail Silver
Black & Gold Studs – Barry M #np147, Barry M #np289 & Models Own champagne
Gold ‘Caviar’ – Models Own champagne & bornprettystore micro-beads
Black & Gold Studded – Barry M #np147 & bornprettystore micro-beads
As you can see I’ve really been favouring glitter polishes again, as well as using studs (micro-beads).
I try to make time to do my nails at least once a week, however sometimes it’s once a fortnight.
I have so many polishes that I would change them more often if I could, but I try to stick with a design.
Do you make time to do your nails every week?
Which one of my recent nail looks is your favourite?
bloomzy /

Tutorial: Velvet Nail Manicure

How to create an on-trend velvet nail manicure

The last nail tutorial I posted seemed quite successful so I thought I would do another. This time I picked this season’s on-trend velvet nail manicure – made popular on the catwalk. Once again I’m going for the accent nail as I didn’t want to over do it. So here is a simple and easy tutorial for a velvet manicure.

You will need…
1 x Brush
1 x Tweezers
1 x Base Coat (optional)
1 x Nail Polish (in your choice of colour)
1 x Pot of  ‘Velvet’ Powder (in your choice of colour)

How to create the look:
1. If you’ve chosen to use a base coat, apply it to your nails.
2. Take your chosen nail polish and apply a coat to your nails – wait til dry.
3. Take the ‘velvet’ powder and use the tweezers to mix and separate the powder.
4. Apply another coat of polish on your chosen nails and then shake the powder onto the nails.
4. Leave the powder to set and the polish to dry, then use the brush to brush off any excess powder.
5. A top coat is not needed as it would ruin the effect, and the powder will stay on without it.

And that’s it! As always these are just simple, easy steps that you can use as a guideline when creating this effect. You can always mix it up a bit – maybe do all your nails or even try and create a design with the powder. I would recommend laying down some paper to catch the excess powder – it also makes it easier to put back after. Don’t worry if you get it wet, it may look soggy and ruined but after a quick dry it’s back to normal. This is a very subtle type of nail art, especially in such a dark colour, but I really like it.

The nail polish I am wearing is Natural Collection’s ‘Cosmic Crush’, and the Velvet Flocking Powder* was provided by Born Pretty Store – the tweezers and brush are included with all sales of the (separate) powder.

You can buy the nail polish in Boots and the Powder here (use code: BLOOMZYK31 for 10% discount).

bloomzy /

Tutorial: Studded Nail Art Design

How to create a simple studded nail art design

I love nail art but my patience is as long as my skills are good.
Therefore I tend to stick to simple, but effective designs and my favourite way to do this is with an ‘accent nail’.
An accent nail can be one or more nails that stand out from the rest to give your nails that extra bit of glam.
I tend to do one or two, but with this design I felt that less was more. 
So here is a simple & easy tutorial for a studded nail design:
What you will need:
1 x Base & Top Coat
1 x Nail Polish (in your choice of colour)
1 x Container of Micro-beads (in your choice of colour)

How to create the look:
1. Paint your nails with a base coat, your chosen colour and a top coat.
2. Pick your colour of Micro-beads and take a few out of the container.
3. Use the brush of your ‘top coat’ to pick up one of the Micro-beads. 
4. Place the beads on your finger nail in a random design.
5. Once the beads have been put in place, place a top coat over the nail.
And that’s it!
Of course you can use a separate tool for placing the beads on but I was trying to keep the tutorial simple, with items that most people have or are easily accessible. You could also do it on all of the nails, which I think looks great. 
An edgy design that doesn’t take long to create and still looks chic, and as if you spent a lot of time on your nails.
The nail polish I am wearing is Essie in Stone, and the Micro-beads were provided by Born Pretty Store*.
You can buy the nail polish here and the Micro-beads here (use code: BLOOMZYK31 for 10% discount).