April Beauty Favourites

For me April was a nail polish month. I fell in love with so many gorgeous polishes. But before we talk about stunning shades lets talk about my new favourite base coat. A good base coat can be a game changer! The Complete Care 7 in 1 Nail Treatment from Sally Hansen is a fabulous base coat. It dries quickly and has been doing wonders for my neglected nails. It dries clear and shiny.

The shade 'Rose Glass' from Sally Hansen's Salon Manicure collection is now one of my all-time favourite polishes and that is saying a lot for somebody who has hundreds of nail polishes. It is a gorgeous warm-toned pale pink that is so very pretty. It isn't nude but is still appropriate for any occasion.

'Show Us Your Tips!' from OPI's new 'New Orleans' collection is like no other polish I own. It is an amazing periwinkle blue-toned mauve (does that make sense) with silver shimmer. The formula is quite thin so you definitely need more than two coats. However I am more than willing to overlook this because once you build this up to be 100% opaque it is 100% stunning. Go google some swatches, it might look meh in the bottle but on the nail it is stunning. Seriously.

Lanolips Intense Hand Balm is a balm that you warm up and then it sinks into your skin. This balm is great if you have very dry hands. I like to spot apply it onto my cuticles and fingers however I wouldn't recommend them applying it all over your hands until the end of the night because you can "feel" it on your hands. Or maybe I just apply way to much?! Either way I know this will be great for the coming winter months.

Prada's 'Candy' Perfume has been my go-to perfume. I have been looking for a perfume that can replace my beloved 'So Hooked on Carmella' from Benefit which is discontinued. This one isn't identical but it is still a gorgeous perfume. I'm rubbish at describing scents so I googled it and apparently it is caramel, sweet, warm spicy, musky and balsamic. I say just go and have a sniff next time you are near the perfume department :)

Not technically a "beauty" favourite but it is beautiful so I'm going to quickly mention the Medium Supernatural Pouch from Mimco, isn't the print divine?!!!!!!!!

At the end of March Priceline had their famous 40% off all make-up and I brought enough foundations to cover the surface of Earth...well maybe not quite but nearly! Anyway there is not a single foundation I want to talk about. Some of them are promising but none of they instantly gained holy grail status. The search for the perfect foundation continues...let me know if you have any recommendations.

Want to check out what I loved in April last year? Here is the link to last years April Favourites: http://theblogforbeautifulliving.blogspot.com.au/2015/05/april-beauty-favourites.html 

Have a wonderful May :)

Natural Instinct Hand & Nail Cream Review

We are well and truly in the midst of winter at the moment so I have been slathering on the moisturiser, lip balm and hand cream. I was sent the Natural Instinct Hand & Nail Cream* a couple of months ago and since then it has became part of my evening routine. The Natural Hand & Nail Cream* comes in a 125ml squeeze tube with a hinged lid and has an earthy aromatherapy scent, which I find very relaxing in the evening. Like all Natural Instinct products it's a vegan product, not tested on animals, pH balanced, made in Australia and free from 400 potentially nasty chemicals (parabens, sulphates, petrochemicals...etc).

The consistency of the cream is quite thick and absorbs into the skin quickly leaving your hands feeling super soft and smooth. When applied to the super dry, chapped, skin between my fingers and especially around my thumb, it gets rids of the awful sore red skin and injects much needed moisture into the skin. I sometimes find that I am left with a slightly oily residue on my hands after applying this which is why I prefer to use it before going to bed. If you don't put too much on you shouldn't be left with that oily feeling though. I always seem to put way too much hand cream on. Unlike some other hand creams I feel like this one does actually moisturise my hands for a long period of time and has good lasting power. It has also improved the condition of my cuticles and the skin around my nails, something I don't notice with most other hand creams. When I wake up in the morning my hands still feel moisturised but not oily. Nothing beats a lovely luxurious and thick hand cream before going to bed, especially when it smells this good!

*I received this product for review purposes. This review is 100% honest and completely my own opinion.

My Nail Care Routine

Hi guys. Tonight I thought I would share with you my nail care routine. I have a couple of products that have been working really well for me so wanted to let you all know about them. It can be really frustrating when your nails break, split and peel.

The Essie Grow Stronger Base Coat is a really nice base coat that I have been using for the past couple of months. Apply 1-2 coats of this and your nails are instantly smoother and stronger. The formula is really great, not too thin and dries reasonably fast. Unlike the previous base coat I was using ( Sally Hansen Hardener, which is great btw) this one has a different formula, along the lines of a gel. Add to the formula slight pink tinge and it makes your nails look really nice if you don't have time for a coloured polish. I really love this because it smooths out my nails so even though they might be peeling once I put this on and swatch polishes it all looks good. 

The Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Quick Drying Top Coat is shiny and makes your dries your polish quickly, within the minute your nails are dry to the touch and prolongs the wear of your polish too preventing chipping. Smiles all around. 

Finally, hand cream. Keeping your hands, fingers and nails moisturised is a must! I don't use cuticle oil or anything else. Just some hand cream before bed to keep my skin smooth and the dryness away. Once the dryness comes I find that the skin around my fingers goes downhill real quick. In the picture I have grabbed the hand cream I have been loving at the moment, Orange Ginger Hand Therapy by Haven (available at Target). 

In my head taking a photo on my bookshelf with my Christmas decorations and fairy lights seemed like a good idea...but it seems that it wasn't such a bright idea! Apologies. I think I am a bit obsessed with Christmas lights at the moment. Went for a drive tonight to see some of the nights in the neighborhood and loved it. What some people do is amazing!!! 

I would love to hear what your favourite nail care products are!