Autumnal Colours - 2true Glossywear Shade 54

Isn't it really annoying when you come across a shade of polish that you actually really like and they have no name, only a shade number? That's how I feel about 2true Glossywear Shade No. 54, such a perfect Autumn shade with no name!

It's a really pretty deep sapphire blue shade with great opacity (2 coats here). The bottle says "up to 5 day wear" which is very true as it's the fifth day I've been wearing it and there's only minor tip wear on my right thumb. I'm really impressed with this polish - no fuss to apply and it's only £1.99 from Superdrug.

*The product featured  in this post was sent to me for review.

Aubrey Organics - Blue Green Algae with Grape Seed Extract - 3 Step Skincare

Today's post is something a little different to what you are used to seeing on my blog.

Always on the quest to find the perfect skincare routine, and now being pregnant too, I started using Aubrey Organics 3 Step Skincare System 3 months ago. Up until now, I've always used quite harsh products like Clearasil on my blemished skin but to be honest they didn't make my skin any better and still broke me out.

I searched the Internet for all natural, organic and cruelty free products but a lot of products which claim to be "natural" are actually packed with chemicals and toxic ingredients which I can't even pronounce. The ones that weren't, cost an arm and a leg which to be honest I wasn't willing to pay after having spent a small fortune on expensive skincare products that I ended up not using.

That's when I came across Aubrey Organics products on Amazon. I noticed that they also had a website and sold in the UK. I chose to go for their older line of products that come in these not-so-fancy bottles. If you go on their website now, it seems that they have re-formulated some of their skincare range as well as packaging.

Here is what I got:

Blue Green Algae Range (Combination/ Oily Skin):

• Facial Cleansing Lotion (118ml) - This is the first time using a face wash that doesn't strip all the oils and over dry my skin. Having had oily skin all my life, I used to think that only if my skin was "pulling" would it be squeaky clean. Now that's not the case as all I was doing was striping all it's natural oils which would make it produce even more oil. This product doesn't really wash off all your make up because it's so mild so you'd still need to use an alcohol free wipe prior to cleansing with this.

• Facial Toner (237ml) - I can't get over how gentle this toner is on my skin. Maybe that's because the toner I used before was so harsh that it would actually burn my skin a little whilst I was applying it. This toner makes my face feel so refreshed and silky.

• Moisturising Cream (118ml) - I was really impressed by the size of this bottle. I usually pay £9.15 for a pot of 30ml drugstore moisturiser and this is a 118ml bottle. It's going to last me way after the cleanser and toner have finished. The first time I used it, I was a bit taken aback by how rich and creamy it is considering it's a moisturiser for combination to oily skin and also by the very strong and overpowering scent, which I still can't get used to. However, I try to remember that it's made with natural oils (jojoba, Shea butter, evening primrose oil, soybean oil, etc), thus the rich and creamy feeling and the strong smell is quite natural and flowery, not "chemically".To my surprise, my oily skin skin seems to soak it right up. It just took me a while getting used to not having completely dry and matte skin like I've been used to for years.

• Soothing Mask (118ml) - I really like this mask although it's not the best clay mask I've tried. It's creamy and feels slightly self warming when applied to the face, it doesn't dry on like your usual clay masks. I leave it on for about 15 minutes and when I rinse it off, my skin feels clean and hydrated but in a dewy way. I haven't had any breakouts at all since I started using this mask but I guess the other products in the range may be helping with that too.

• Lip Balm - They send you a free lip balm when you spend £30. I love this lip balm although I have a drawer full of them. As this one is made from all natural products, it's the only one I would wear overnight, plus it contains no SPF so it's probably more suited for overnight anyway. I wake up with supple and moisturised lips in the morning.

The cleanser and toner are nearly finished and although I would gladly re-purchase the majority of these products, I tend to get quite bored if I keep to the same skincare routine for a long period of time. So I've already been eyeing up a few more products I'd like to incorporate into my skincare routine.

What is your skincare routine? Do you change every so often or do you like to stick to the same products for a very long time?

NOPI - Selena Polka Dots & Bows

Today I'm sporting some polka dots and bows on my nails, a cute combo I can never resist. I used Nicole by OPI  - Selena from the Spring 2013 Selena Gomez collection as a base. It's a very pretty peachy pink, exactly the type of colour I'd go for. The only thing letting this polish down is the formula. I found it to be very streaky and I needed 3 coats to cover up patches, I don't know if that was just my bottle.

The bow is made up of black and silver loose pieces of hex glitter and for the polka dots I used Barry M Black and a doting tool.

Here are the other Selena Gomez collection polishes I received. More manis to follow:

 

Nicole by OPI polishes are now available at Superdrug stores nationwide and retail for £7.99.

For more information, visit nicolebyopi.com, follow on twitter @NicoleByOPI and become a Facebook fan.

 

Autumnal Colours - Nubar Hieroglyphys Purple

Well, it's safe to say that Autumn is well and truly under way here in the UK. It's been raining on and off all this week and apparently we are having the first storm of Autumn today. I've had to bring out the wellies, the umbrella and the rain coats already!

Needless to say, I was in no mood for bright or pastel colours on my nails this week so I dug out this perfect transitional colour which isn't extremely dark but is dark enough to suit this weather.

This is 2 coats of Nubar Hieroglyphys Purple, a bright berry purple colour. It looks slightly brighter in the second picture as I was having trouble with my lighting! These kind of purples are quite elegant in my opinion, I'm loving this polish. What do you think of it?

Polished by KPT - Plumeria and Fluorescein

Today I have two more Polished by KPT polishes to share with you. A thermal and a bright neon glow polish. Let's get right into the swatches!

Plumeria is a pink holographic thermal. It shifts from a very light baby pink, almost a clear silvery colour when warm, to a bright berry pink when cold. You can see how it transitions in the photos below. This is 3 coats on it's own.

Fluorescein is a neon green jelly packed with scattered holo that glows under UV light. It's a little on the sheer side, the pictures are 2 coats and there is still vnl. You would probably need 3 coats or to wear undies for full coverage.

You can purchase Polished by KPT directly from Katherine's Big Cartel website, (US & Canada shipping) but they are now also available at Shoppe Eclectic and Harlow & Co. In addition to polish, Katherine also sells beautiful polish jewellery.

*The product featured  in this post was sent to me for review.

Blue on Blue with Shimmer Polish Maria

It just so happens that this morning, I had put some Barry M Blueberry Ice Cream on my nails! I hadn't worn it for so long and it's such a pretty saturated sky blue.

The blue lover in me couldn't neglect Shimmer Polish Maria which was still sitting in my untrieds stash but because I didn't want my whole mani to be too glittery, I opted for an accent nail of Maria with some silver studs. Maria is definitely for blue lovers as it's packed with blue glitters of all different shapes and sizes.
I haven't worn anything that even remotely resembles nail art in the past few weeks as the smell of polish still bothers me a lot if I spend too long around it, so one tiny accent nail is perfect right now.

You can purchase Shimmer Polish directly from Cindy's Etsy store. There are also lots of beautiful swatches and product information on their website and Facebook page.

*Some of the products featured  in this post were sent to me for review.

piCture pOlish - Shocked

Hi guys!

Can you believe it's 1st September already? Summer is almost over although I am told that we are to expect a few more days of heat over here. Holding onto high temperatures as much as I can although I'm excited that Autumn is just around the corner.

Today I have another piCture pOlish collaboration shade to show you - Shocked. This vibrant pink jelly with scattered holographic particles was in collaboration with Shatter me Claire. Due to it's jelly nature, you will need 3 coats for full coverage but the formula is flawless as we've come to expect from piCture pOlish.

Oh yes! And as you have most probably noticed, I filed my nails back to squares. Although I like ovals/ almond shape, they're just not me. I think squares suit me much more.

Yet another amazing piCture pOlish/ blogger creation! I just love that scattered holo in there!

 piCture pOlish can be purchased directly from their website - picturepolish.com.au. They do international shipping. You can also purchase it at various etailers throughout the world. Check out their Network page for more info. You can keep updated on any piCture pOlish news via their Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

*The product featured  in this post was sent to me for review.