FAVOURITE NAIL PROUCTS

Here’s a rundown of a few of my favourite nail care products – some which I’ve recently acquired and fell in love with, as well as others which I’ve sworn by for quite a while now. 

 My absolute favourite has to be the Sally Hansen Instant cuticle remover. This stuff is magic – apply the gel onto any undesired dry cuticles and wait 3o seconds. Horrible cuticles be gone. This is priced at around £4 which is reasonable anyways – but it also lasts for ages. Bonus.

Next up we have the popular Seche Vite - and rightly so. I use this every time I paint my nails as a topcoat. It literally makes my nails completely dry in 5 minutes; perfect if, like me, you hate waiting around for like 5 hours for them to dry.

If I’m really going all out, I like to pamper my nails by using cuticle oil, usually after the Sally Hansen cuticle remover. Again I just put this around my nails and leave to absorb for around 5 minutes or so.  The particular one I use is the Avoplex Nail Cutlicle replenishing oil by OPI as it smells good and leaves my cuticles soft. 

If your nails are naturally quite weak like mine, you might want to give Sally Hansen’s Continuous Hardening Treatment a go. I apply this as a base coat, so it not only protects my nails from the nail polish colour, but also works to strengthen them too! It’s actually a nice milky colour so you can easily wear it alone if you prefer – and I do find it helps with making my nails feel a lot stronger overall. 

A topcoat is a necessity (especially if you don’t want to go for a quick drying one like Seche Vite) - as it seals in the colour to make it last longer, and adds some shine too. I’m currently using the Essie one which is nice as it isn’t very thick in consistency as some topcoats can be, so it’s lovely and quick to apply.

Thank you for reading,

NV

xoxo 

REVIEW: BOBBI BROWN LIP BALM

I got this little pot of luxury quite recently, but I can already tell you I am in love. This Bobbi Brown Lip Balm contains 15g of product, and it's by far the best I've ever tried (and believe me, I've tried my fair share).


It moisturizes my lips amazingly well - I use it in the morning before applying any makeup to let it absorb into my lips just in time for lipstick application, as well as in the evening so that it works its magic overnight. This lip balm has quite a rich consistency but isn't sticky at all, and has a lovely delicate fragrance. 

I got this because I was fed up of my dry lips - so if it fixed my sore, flaky (basically horrible) lips, I'm sure it'll save yours too. 

Thank you for reading,

NV

xoxo 

STEP BY STEP SKINCARE ROUTINE FEATURING ARK SKINCARE

Step one - Pre CleanseInstead of cleansing my face twice, I use the Ark Age Prepare Pre Skin Cleanse* first to get all of my makeup off. I just massage this in when my skin is still dry, and take off using warm water and a face cloth. 

Step two - CleanseThen to really get my skin squeaky clean, I use the Ark Age Prepare Cleanser*.
The consistency of this cleanser is very unique so it makes it amazing to apply to my skin and massage in. Again I just take off using a face cloth and warm water. 

Step three - ExfoliateTo keep my skin looking as fresh as possible, I exfoliate using the Ark Age Prepare exfoliator* for the face, and Lush Bubblegum lip scrub for lips. Both of these products remove dead skin cells, revealing fresh skin and lips! 

Step Four - ToneAfter applying all those products on my face, I like to take off anything that may be left on the skin (or any little leftover bits of the scrub). I also go over my eyes to make sure every last bit of mascara is removed too. For this step I use Bioderma micellar water, it's my favourite by far! 

Step five - MoisturisePretty self explanatory really - I just apply a few drops of the Ark Antioxidant Skin Response Serum* first, wait for it to absorb into the skin, and then apply a some of the Ark Age Prepare Moisturiser* on top. This combination works amazingly to make my skin feel lovely and soft! 

Step six - Massage I don't always do this step, but I do like to use the Body Shop facial massager once I've completed my skincare, just because it's quite relaxing and feels great!

Step seven - Lip BalmMy lips tend to get quite dry, so I like to apply lip balm at the end of my routine, and re apply just before I go to bed as well! My favourites are Bobbi Brown, Elemis (similar here) and Avene (similar here). 

Now I don't recommend using wipes as a cleanser substitute every single day, but from time to time when I do need to use them, I like the Simple ones best! They also have exfoliating wipes which again is quite handy if you don't have time for a full skincare routine, which let's face it, does take a bit of time. But hey - if spending an extra 15 minutes in the evening makes my skin look and feel a hundred times better, I guess it's worth it in the long run. 

Thank you for reading,

NV

xoxo 

*Products marked with an asterisk are prizes I won in a twitter competition. Please see disclaimer for more details.