The Beauty Show

Current Nails: Jessica GELeration in French (Blush and Frost) with Konad Print

Last Sunday, (Oct 14th) was the BEAUTY SHOW! I'd definitely recommend any beauty professional to go whether it's in Dublin, London, or at the GMEX in Manchester. The first time I went a few years ago I was still a student so couldn't take full advantage of everything that was there.. but this time, fully qualified and with a business.. I spent an absolute fortune! >_< But everything I got was essential.. including my laser teeth whitening.. Okay maybe not, but still! The results were amazing and I'd definitely get them done again! It was £69.00 for a 20min session with "Hollywood Smile" and it was completely pain free! Even afterwards, I have no extra sensitivity just lovely teeth :)

Before you start you, of course, have to fill out a consultation card and the technician rates your teeth on a scale with different shades of teeth. I was only 2 shades off surprisingly and a passer by asked if I'd already had them done?! After prepping my teeth and gums I had to bite down on a gum shield and sit there with some very fashionable sunglasses! This is me :)

Me and my snazzy shades ;) 

After 20mins my session was done and I was given a mirror to see the results - WOW! The same woman got the scale to see where I was, but then had to get a completely different scale as I was off the chart! I'd gone up 4 shades from what I was previously! My results of course may vary to others as it is known to give sensitivity to the teeth, I was fortunate and had none, if you are thinking about teeth whitening do take this into consideration. It is just for vain cosmetic purposes, and isn't worth the pain of having overly sensitive teeth. http://www.hollywoodsmiles.co.uk/index.php Pretty sure this is the stand I went to.. But don't quote me.

Moving on!

I'd completely bought out SweetSquared as you can see, purchasing the new Shellac complete winter collection, 2 sheets of minx, and the CND additives kit! Honestly I just wanted a big CND bag.. and I got one! >:D I'll be doing a separate post about the CND stuff so watch this space for that :) 

To the left of the shellac is the Konad salon pro kit! That I've been wanting for absolutely AGES. Like with CND I'll be doing a separate post about the Konad kit and all it includes. 

To the right are my professional solutions of Fake Bake, that I use for spray tanning. I also got a tanning mouse for myself :P Again, I shall do a separate post on Fake Bake, and why it really is the best fake tan out there :P

Keep checking http://www.professionalbeauty.co.uk/ for when the beauty show will be at a venue near you.

Bare Minerals

CURRENT NAILS: Jessica "Cherrywood"

So recently I jumped on the Bare Minerals band wagon. I'd highly recommend that anyone trying Bare Minerals for the first time to get the "Get Started Complexion Kit" in their suited skin tone - "Light", "Medium", "Tan", "Dark"

Me, being part ghost, got the "Light" kit.

Now inside you get 2 BareMinerals original SPF 15 Foundation in "Fairly Light" and "Light", an "Original Mineral Veil" (A translucent powder that sets your make-up)  "Warmth" which is an All-Over Face colour, a full flawless face brush, flawless application face brush, maximum coverage concealer brush, a "How to" Dvd, and a "Prime Time" Foundation Primer sachet.
For £49, honestly, it's a complete steal considering the "Full flawless face brush" is £24 on it's own, and the "Flawless Application face brush" is £19. Obviously all your products aren't full size.. The foundations and mineral veil are 2g pots, the all over face colour 1.5g and the primer is a sachet of 15ml. But really, you don't need a lot of product at all. Especially with the All-Over Face colour.. with this product the LESS the BETTER. The BareMinerals rep couldn't stress enough how little of this product you actually need. 

With your mineral foundations the amount of product used will vary from person to person due to different people wanting a different coverage.. obviously the more coverage you want the product you will use - and if you're using it everyday you'll run out faster, and will need to buy another pot. £24 will get you a full 8g pot that WILL last you. 

To help you get "Matched Up" with your perfect foundation shade here are all of the different foundations along with pics:

(Light/Fair Skin)

FAIR
FAIRLY LIGHT
GOLDEN FAIR
LIGHT

(Light to Medium skin)
FAIRLY MEDIUM
MEDIUM
MEDIUM BEIGE
GOLDEN MEDIUM

(Medium to Tan Skin)
MEDIUM TAN
TAN
GOLDEN TAN
 WARM TAN

(Tan to Dark Skin)
DARK
MEDIUM DARK
GOLDEN DARK
WARM DARK

(Dark to Deep Skin)
MEDIUM DEEP
GOLDEN DEEP
WARM DEEP
DEEPEST DEEP

Elemis Christmas Gift Boxes

CURRENT NAILS - FRENCH (Jessica's "Frost" and "Blush")

On the 10th Sept we introduced the Elemis Christmas boxes to our clients, bit late in telling you about it but ah well! I can only really comment on the one that my mum bought but I'll still go through what's in each of the boxes and prices etc :)

Bath & Body Jewels Bodycare Essentials
(£29.50)

• Quiet Mind Relaxing Bath Elixir (100ml)
• Skin Nourishing Shower Cream (100ml)
• Revitalise-Me Shower Gel (100ml)
• Tranquil Touch Indulgent Bath Elixir (100ml)
• Tranquil Touch Body Cream (50ml)
• Skin Nourishing Body Lotion (50ml)

This is a perfect little gift for Christmas with something for everyone. I'm doing really well at retailing this at work as it's so easy to sell! You have gels and creams for both bath and shower takers with a cream and lotion for moisturising afterwards. I like this set with it just being for the body. I'm not trained with Elemis yet so would be a bit hesitant to use any facial products with me having sensitive skin, so this is a good little set for someone like me! And to add - everything smells divine!

Duchess of Spa Exotic Bodycare
(£49.50)

• Tranquil Touch Creamy Body Wash (300ml, full size)
• Frangipani Monoi Shower Cream (200ml, full size)
• Tranquil Touch Body Polish (150ml, full size)
• Frangipani Monoi Body Oil (100ml, full size)

This is a good set for someone who buys these exotic body products as they're not a mini taster like in some boxes but are full size so will have amazing savings! The "Tranquil Touch Creamy Body Wash" is nearly £20 just on it's own! A total steal if these are regular product buys for you.

Nourishing Treasures Bodycare
(£25.00)

• Skin Nourishing Shower Cream (100ml)
• Skin Nourishing Body Lotion (50ml)
• Quiet Mind Temple Balm (15ml, full size)
• Treat Your Feet Foot Cream (20ml)

This is a cute little set for someone not wanting to spend too much but give a worthwhile gift. The Nourishing Treasures includes the "Quiet mind temple balm" (£14) used to promote relaxation by massaging into the temples, Skin Nourishing Shower Cream (300ml £20.50), a body lotion, and a foot cream, literally treating you from head to toe! 

Energising Treasures Face and Bodycare
(£25.00)

• Maximum Moisture Day Cream (20ml)
• Maximum Replenish Night Cream (20ml)
• Lime and Ginger Hand and Body Wash (100ml)
• Lime and Ginger Hand and Body Lotion (50ml)

Like the Nourishing Treasures this too is a nice gift box for someone on a budget. With the Energising Treasures you have products for both the face and body. A gorgeous day and night cream, and a body wash with lotion for after. Perfect.

Princess of Spa Nourishing Bodycare
(£49.50)

• Skin Nourishing Milk Bath (400ml, full size)
• Quiet Mind Relaxing Bath Elixir (300ml, full size)
• Pro-Radiance Hand and Nail Cream (100ml, full size)

The Princess of Spa gift box, part of the Elemis Royal Collection, is a definite save as the Skin Nourishing Milk Bath is £39.90 on it's own! And better yet all of the 3 products are full size! This even includes a Hand and Nail cream worth £22.00 -  A box perfect for a princess!

The Ultimate Travel Collection
(£68.00)

• Pro-Radiance Cream Cleanser (30ml)
• Soothing Apricot Toner (50ml)
• Papaya Enzyme Peel (15ml)
• Exotic Cream Moisturising Mask (15ml)
• Pro-Collagen Marine Cream (30ml)
• Frangipani Monoi Body Oil (35ml)
• Skin Nourishing Shower Cream (100ml)

I'd be tempted to get this just for the leather case! Unfortunately none of the products are full size, but there is a lot in it! And no one takes full size when travelling anyway ;) It has all your facial products needed including a peel and mask, and a gorgeous shower cream and body oil.

Pro Collagen Queen
(£195.00)


• Pro-Radiance Cream Cleanser (150ml, full size)
• Soothing Apricot Toner (200ml, full size)
• Pro-Collagen Marine Cream (100ml, super size)
• Pro-Collagen Oxygenating Night Cream (30ml)
• Pro-Collagen Advanced Eye Treatment (15ml, full size)
• Pro-Collagen Quartz Lift Mask (50ml, full size)

This is the "BIG ONE" of the gift boxes "The Pro Collagen Queen" and at £195.00 it had better be good! Everything but one product is full size but the Pro-Collagen Marine cream at 100ml is super size! All in all this gift box is worth £315.00 so it's a steal really. Definitely worth it if you use all these products on the regular, they'll last you a while and you're getting a HUGE saving.

Majestic Beauty Advanced Skincare
(£65.00)

• Melting Cleansing Gel, (125ml full size)
• Papaya Enzyme Peel, (15ml)
• Cellular Recovery Skin Bliss Capsules (14 capsules)
• Pro-Collagen Marine Cream, (30ml)
• Pro-Radiance Hand and Nail Cream, (100ml full size)

The Majestic Beauty, another box in the Elemis Royal Collection, is an advanced skincare box that contains a good facial regime including the "Cellular Recovery Skin Bliss Capsules." These little capsules are a powerful anti-pollution detox for your skin, they help repair visible signs of ageing. (For £59.30 you can get a full size box and get 60 capsules) All in all you save £45 by buying this gift box and it also comes in a great vanity bag!

Supreme Glow Skincare Essentials
(£46.50)

• Rehydrating Rosepetal Cleanser (200ml, full size)
• Soothing Apricot Toner (200ml, full size)
• Maximum Moisture Day Cream (50ml, full size)
• Tranquil Touch Indulgent Bath Elixir (100ml)

And last but not least, The Supreme Glow, another addition to the Royal Collection, is a perfect collection for a facial regime with an added cheeky bath elixir. It has all your skincare essentials having a full size cleanser, toner and day cream which is excellent! I think the bath elixir is a bit random.. so makes sense to just have it at 100ml instead of it's usual 300ml. But all in all you're saving £33.50 with this box so if you wanted a full size Indulgent Bath Elixir you can get it for just £19.00

Spicy Dream

CURRENT TOES - Jessica's "Winter Berries"
PS: My little toes aren't painted :P

It's been a long week! I'm going to be heading to bed soon, so won't be a long one, but just wanted to give a little review on the new Jessica "Spicy Dream" collection!

Cinnamon Kiss, Pumpkin Delight, Gingersnap, Crimson Tattoo, Champagne Bubbles and Brown Sugar

They look a heck of a lot more sparkly in person.. Especially "Pumpkin Delight" and "Gingersnap" And honestly when I unpacked them in the salon and put them up on display I genuinely thought they were Christmas colours they're that glittery!

Personally "Cinnamon Kiss" and "Champagne Bubbles" are my favourite, and so I treated myself to them. Was also tempted to get "Crimson Tattoo" but we sold out! "Pumpkin Delight" and "Gingersnap" are okay colours but aren't really my thing, and I don't reckon much to "Brown Sugar" at all, definitely not my colour.

Here are the colours actually painted on nails (Courtesy of Scrangie.com) : 

"Cinnamon Kiss"
A gorgeous deep rich red colour with dark shimmers and flashes of gold. One of my faves!

"Gingersnap"
A huge mixture of mainly gold, red and brown. Has hints of green and orange flashes in different lights.

"Champagne Bubbles"
Light silver with hints of gold/orange. Amazing colour, and surprisingly good coverage after 2 coats.

"Pumpkin Delight"
Reds, bronze and golds. Similar to "Gingersnap" but a lot more red.

"Crimson Tattoo"
Very dark wine coloured. After one coat sort of like a red/plum, gets it's true colour after 2nd coat. 

"Brown Sugar"
Just an average deep brown to me.. not a fan.

For an Autumn collection the reds, bronzes and browns are definitely colours I'd expect to see.. It's a nice little collection :) and available to buy NOW at http://www.gerrardinternational.com/nail-colour/collections/spicy-dream.html

GELeration

CURRENT NAILS : "Birds of Paradise" - Jessica's GELeration.

So, having just started my new full time job at the beginning of August I've been introduced to the Jessica's GELeration gels :D

"This unique gel in a bottle, with patent-pending technology, is applied like a polish with the durable strength of a gel. Available in 67 of JESSICA's bestselling Custom Colours, 22 GELeration Colours, and 12 Glitters. GELeration lasts for 21+ days without chipping, peeling, or fading and is easily removed in minutes" 

Being a total CND freak and a well known lover of Shellac I felt slightly traitorous but can't get over the immense range of colours widely available! It goes without saying CND's Shellac is very limited with colours, which is a shame, and has caused many nail techs to wander elsewhere mainly to "Gelish" a part gel part polish brand, that too boasts a wide range of colours. (With me not having any experience with Gelish I can't review it, but will definitely look into it in the future!)

Here are all of the current GELeration colours as of 13/9/12:

My personal favourites are:
Raspberry
Soak up the Sun
Birds of Paradise
Winter Berries
Royal Red