Friday 10 May 2013

NOTD: Essie Bikini So Teeny

You can clearly tell I was playing with picmonkey.com! Covering things in hearts should be a daily thing
Its been a while since I've done a nail of the day post so I thought as I have new Essie nail varnishes I might write a little one. I have a feeling I'm last to the party here (like I always am) as every blogger and vlogger has been raving about this range for only god knows how long. Normally Essie costs an arm and a leg (about €10 in the shops) so I never gave it much notice, but when I picked it up for £1.99 online from FragranceDirect I was a small bit delighted with myself. 


Bikini So Teeny is a really gorgeous lavender bluey colour that has a hint of sparkle in the bottle but less so once applied. This colour reminds me for some reason of Barry M's Blueberry, but of course its a lighter shade then this Essie one. The brush is a nice, full easy to use one but I have yet to find a replacement for essence brushes, they are still number one in my book. I have to say the packaging is nothing special but then again maybe it was the simple clean approach Essie were going for and its gone over my head. The varnish itself needs about 2 coats before it becomes completely opaque and lovely looking. The first picture on the right here shows 2 coats on all my fingers apart from my middle finger, just to show the difference. It does need a good few minutes to dry but once it does there is no smudging like there is with some polishes when you layer coats on top. I didn't feel the need to use a clear top coat with this as it was such a shiny good quality. 

Wear-wise it lasts about 3 days before it starts to show wear. I'm not counting the fact that because I sometimes bite my nails the chipping always starts early. I'm not sure if I would repurchase a nail varnish this expensive as I can't really justify it, but if any more catch my eye online that are the bargain price of £1.99 like this one was then I will definitely nab it. 

Wednesday 8 May 2013

Revitale And Grace Your Face Pore Strips

 From the previous super success of using the Boots nose strips in the past, I had to have a try of some other types to see if they were any better. That and who wouldn't like to get rid of the horrible clogged pores from around as much of your face as possible? So when I was wondering round FragranceDirect last month (check out my last FragranceDirect post here before you order) I couldn't pass up both boxes for 99p.

Lets start off with the Revitale deeply absorbent nose strips. There are 5 deep magnetic cleansing strips in each box, and just like any nose strips, all you do is wet your nose, peel the strip and leave it on your nose for 10 to 15 minutes until it drys, then peel it off. They are formulated with natural charcoal extracts which sounded very fancy to me, but to my horror the black charcoal transferred onto my skin and I was a little worried would leave a mark. Thankfully after some soap and water it came off. But the over all result wasn't as I had hoped it would be with all its fancy words and posh shiny packaging. Not only did the black come off, but the strip itself didn't dry properly with any that I tried and my pores still looked just as bad once I had finished using them. Not a very good buy at all and something I wont be getting again. Also I couldn't find anything about Revitale online, other then that there are other products in the range and that you can also buy them on Amazon.

Next are the Grace Your Face chin and forehead strips. The packaging reminds me of some of the Essence range and it caught my eye because of it. I really let out  'oohhh, look!' when I saw these because like I said in my last nose strip post, I would love to find strips that cover more of your face and here they were! There are 6 strips in this box and I assumed that 3 would be for your chin, 3 for your forehead and different shapes to suit the area. No they are all the same size and shape, strangely. These ones were better then the Revitale ones as they dried well and unclogged more pores once removed, but I just wasn't in love with them. Again, they were only 99p so it wasn't a waste of money to try them out. These strips seem to be more widely available online and in shops like SuperDrug, but like the Revitale ones, I couldn't really find any information about them online. On the box they had a web address that is no longer in existence it seems. 


But at the end of the day I have yet to find anything that can outdo the Boots tea tree and which hazel nose strips. They are my one love and I have been repurchasing them again and again. Go take a look at my post about them here.

Saturday 4 May 2013

My Tattoos


I have loved body art since I can remember and if I'm honest I think I loved it all the more because my mother hated it. But despite that little truth thats not the reason I have gotten any of my tattoos or piercings (Scouts honour!) I will am some point put up a post on my many many piercings, but for now lets talk about my tattoos.

I got my very first tattoo when I just turned 18. It was something I had thought about for well over a year and knew what sort of style I wanted and why it meant so much to me. However I must admit it wasn't the best first experience I have ever had. I wanted 'rams horns', a four spiral West African symbol meaning strength and humility that would be placed near my wrist so I could always see it and be reminded that I was a strong person - Of course there is more of a meaning to it then that but all my tattoos are gotten for very personal reasons so I'm not going to go too much into them. 

But because this was my first tattoo and I wasn't very preped on the how to know if the artist/shop is up to the standards, I went to the one in Dublin that was getting the most hype and that everyone else was going to. I had previously gone into them to book the piece and show the design I wanted. I now know I was quoted a mad price but sure lets take that as a lesson for future reference  Other then that, when the day came I went in and waited.. And waited.. And well you get the point. I was told they were running overtime and would I come back tomorrow instead. After all that, I was so drained from being nervous! But I came back again only to be told they hadn't preped my design and didn't even know what I wanted. Luckily I had the symbol handy in my bag and after showing them they said they couldn't do it because it was too complicated. In the end I did something silly. I was so upset and stressed out from all the crap that I took their advice, went online right then and there and picked a more simple design. And here it is, my wonky but much loved Irish triple spirals. The symbol is found on the walls in Newgrange and I take my own meaning from it. Also its nice to have something on me that represents where I have come from. All in all a 50/50 good bad experience. Oh and despite me thinking that my arm would fall off from the pain, it wasn't as bad as I expected. Like a 3 out of 10.


Next came my little lower back piece. I was very close to my granddad and when he passed away I knew I wanted to get something to keep him near me always, so I got a quote of something he always said at the end of the day when we drove home and got out of the car. It was a running joke with my family to say it and tease him. ''Home again, safe and sound, thank God.'' Out of 10 I'd say it hurt about a 4 1/2. I went to Snakebite in Dublin for this and the next piece. I'll recommend these guys til the cows come home. They are honest with their prices, super clean and oh so lovely friendly people who will bend over backwards to make sure your sorted if you have any issues healing or if your ink needs to be touched up. A girly called Denis did all my back and she has an amazing portfolio.

Lastly (well, for now anyway) I decided to add to my little quote and get some swallows. Bird tattoos weren't big when I got this done let me just add. I lived on a farm growing up and my granddad used to leave the animal doors in the sheds open in the summer so the birds could fly in to make nests. Since I can remember he always used to tell stories about them and explain about their journey and their special tails. I have six of them, each one to represent a family member who I grew up with at home. This one goes from where my quote finishes up to the right side of my shoulder blades. You can't see from my poor quality picture (sorry!) but the birds differ in size and go right across my back. I'll admit, this one hurt more then I like to normally say. Getting your spine tattooed is not a nice sensation and I had a bad reaction to it. But after several lollipops and some sugary drinks I was much better. A 8 out of 10, mostly toward the top part of my back and my spine was a big 10.

My next tattoo will be on the same arm as my spiral. I want to get a full ring of big colourful (oh, look at me not going with my normal black, fancy!) daisys that go up my arm. Thats all to report for now, but never fear, I will always want/need more ink!

Do you have any tattoos?