OPI Avoplex nails and cuticles products

During winter I am an individual who would rather hibernate through it rather than being exposed to the elements. I tend to feel the cold a lot more due to the fact I have poor circulation.  I notice more in the winter that I tend to get a lot of pain in my hands and my skin tends to dry out due to fluctuating temperature changes, and general every day wear and tear.  In the past I tried various moisturising creams to try and combat these problems however I tended to find the products were either far too runny or left an oily, sticky feeling on my hands.

I decided to look for a product which was solely designed by nail technicians, as I felt they would have a product which would suit my requirements.  I researched different brands on the internet and decided to book myself in for an OPI manicure. I discussed my concerns with a nail technician who recommended a couple of products to try and incorporated these into my manicure.

When I returned home I noticed the shopping channel QVC had a full hour dedicated to OPI products. I watched the product demonstrations, which went into great detail about each of the products they were selling I noticed these particular products contained shea, cocoa, avocado and almond butters, any product I have had in the past have not had as many natural products in them. I looked up the products online and noticed that QVC’s range of OPI products where better value than some other websites.  I decided to purchase their OPI avoplex lotion and cuticle oil kit in order for me to try this for myself.

When the products arrived I couldn’t wait to try these out as I really enjoyed the manicure and hearing about the benefits of the products. 

I am currently using the high intensity hand and nail cream and find it to have a pleasant fresh smell. It doesn’t feel runny or thick, it sinks into my hands and leave no oily or greasy residue on my hands.  I tend to use the cuticle oil once a week when I paint my nails, as this is an oil you only need a small amount as it goes along way, like the hand cream it smells fresh, and comforting on my skin. This particular product tends to help my circulation as I try to try and massage it into my hands for a couple of minutes which stimulates my blood flow through my hands.  I am pleased to say my hands are back to feeling soft, pain free and not a rag nail in sight!

If you are interested in trying this product out I have included the link to QVC’s website where I purchased this kit from, there is a video clip of the product demonstration in this link too:

http://www.qvcuk.com/OPI-Avoplex-Lotion-and-Avoplex-Oil.product.208565.html?sc=SRCH&cm_sp=VIEWPOSITION-_-1-_-208565

Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish

My most versatile product would be Liz Earle’s cleanse and polish facial cleanser. This product has been designed to suit different skin types, such as dry, sensitive and oily or combination skin which can be prone to spots. As you can see the packaging for this product is completely unisex and can adapt to target any skin type and can be used by any age group  which means it’s a great all-rounder with everyone in your home.

Liz Earle over the years have won over 100 awards for this product which range from customers most favourite cleanser to most repeated purchase.  This product is not tested on animals, its key ingredients are naturally active plant based which contain beexwax, eucalyptus, cocoa butter, rosemary and chamomile extract.  

This product is very easy to use, there is a basic two-step process to follow which is:

Step 1 press one or two pumps onto your fingers and massage into your face and neck morning and night.

Step 2 using the pure muslin cloth (which is generally provided with cleans and polish) place this in warm water and wring out prior to wiping the product off your face until you are satisfied that there is no residue left on your skin.

I find cleanse and polish particularly effective at removing make up and excess oil in my skin, I enjoy smelling the essential oils on my skin both in the morning to help wake me up and also when taking my make-up off at night.  I am left with soft, comfortable and clean skin.  Whenever I have a cold it clears my sinuses due to eucalyptus oil in the product. I believe this product allows you to experience a thorough cleanse without unbalancing or drying out your skin. As it contains calming plant based ingredients this product has been recommended by many beauty experts for sensitive skin as it feels comforting without any dragging or irritation.

OPI Starlight Christmas 2015 collection

Every year OPI bring out a christmas nail polish collection in time for the party season. For 2015 they have named their collection "starlight" which contains 18 limited edition nail polishes which they have themed around space and a  glittering night sky. 

OPI made two collections based on these shades which they advertised on QVCUK recently. Both collections contained brand new limited edition Swarovski inspired christmas shades, as well as two nail envy’s, avoplex hand lotion and drip dry drying drops which are packaged in a gift box ready to gift for people who love nail polish.

Painting my nails is one of my favourite past times. I currently use OPI products I was very excited to see the launch of this new collection.  I decided to purchase the cool collection as it contained colours which I liked, I also liked the fun and quirky names which OPI give their nail polishes.

This kit included the following:

1 x Give Me Space (15ml) - night-sky blue sparkle

1 x I Drive a Super Nova (15ml) - pearly silver

1 x The Centre of the You-niverse (15ml) - black shimmer

1 x Is this Star Taken? (15ml) - iridescent gold

1 x Original Nail Envy (15ml)

1 x Bubble Bath Nail Envy (15ml) 

1 x Avoplex Lotion (50ml)

1 x Drip Dry Drying Drops (9ml)

1 x gift box

This kit arrived within a few days and looks like this:

I decided I would try out each of the polishes for a week to see what the colour was like and to test its longevity and would write this blog to discuss my findings.

For each application I applied original nail envy as a base coat and applied two coats of nail polish. Followed by a top coat. The colours which I felt this kit was worth buying for were, give me space (top left) and the centre of the you-niverse (bottom left), together with the nail treatments.  As you can see in the pictures below there is a real depth of colour, with a really pretty sparkle.  For me both of this polishes look like a night sky full of stars. The top coat gave them both a gloss finish and both polishes lasted throughout the week, I did not experience any chips or flaking.

I was disappointed with the other two colours in this collection, I drive a super nova (top right) and is this star taken(bottom right).   You can see from the picture above the silver (I drive a super nova) nail polish has visible brush strokes through it which I don't particularly want to see in a premium nail polish. Although the colour and glitter stands of is this star taken looks  quite pretty, I found them to snag on my bedsheets and clothes, even with a top coat they felt a little bit rough to the touch. I also found both of these polishes chipped after a few days at the corners of my nails.

I found both the nail envy colours and the hand lotion (which I already use) to be very useful and essential for people who have soft or brittle nails, as these are treatment products designed to help strengthen your nails.

Bare Minerals Original SPF15

For those of you who have either not heard of Bare Minerals before or have wanted to try their products but are unsure of the results you can achieve I thought I would give you my personal view on their starting product which was the bare minerals SPF 15 original foundation. 

I came across Bare Minerals make up 10 years ago whilst on a shopping trip on holiday in Orlando, Florida. I was looking for a make-up product that would give me sun protection (SPF) as well as something to act as a foundation.

I saw a Bare Minerals counter in a shopping mall advertising pure mineral make upproducts which contained SPF.  The assistant started to talk to me about the brand and how they were the first brand to develop the mineral make up revolution in which their products are free of any preservatives, fillers and binders which can be found in some other make-up brands. Bare Minerals products are breathable, lightweight with rich pigmentation and contain both UVA/UVB filters which can help to protect your skin from sun damage.

I felt like I had received an education in skin care and was delighted to be able to test out the products on my own skin to see how my skin would adapt to their products.  I was a little apprehensive at first as I was always used to using a liquid foundation, however once I understood how to apply the minerals I was blown away with the results.

I have listed out 3 steps which bare minerals advise when applying their original foundation:

Easy Application Technique

Step 1 – Swirl

Tap out a small amount of minerals into the lid (using a foundation brush) I recommend Bare Minerals flawless application brush, swirl your brush into the minerals.

Step 2 - Tap

Tap the brush against the side of the lid to remove any excess product.

Step 3 – Buff

Start to buff the minerals into your skin using circular motions. Continue to use these three steps until you are satisfied with the coverage.

Although its formation is a powder once I started to buff it into my skin I could see it formed a creamy texture similar to a liquid foundation.  My skin looked healthy, it did not feel like it was caked in heavy make-up it had a luminosity to it. I was extremely satisfied with the results, and as a result I continue to follow bare minerals and purchase their products to date.

 

Philip Kingsley Elasticizer

Philip Kingsley Elasticizer

For the past six months I have been using Philip Kingsley’s elasticizer as I have long dark blonde wavy hair which I tend to get my hair dresser to put some highlights through in the winter months when the sun isn’t here to naturally lighten my colour.  On top of this I also blow dry and straighten my hair at least 5 times a week, as my hair doesn’t feel so weighed down when it’s straight.  As a result my hair can snap more easily and is prone to a few split ends, which means I then have to get a lot more taken off at the hairdressers than I anticipated.

As you can see from the video Philip Kingsley’s elasticizer was created 40 years ago for Audrey Hepburn she had fine hair which was constantly styled and as a result she wanted a product which not only put condition in her hair, but also gave her fuller, thicker and more elasticity into her hair. Philip Kingsley (hair tri-cologist) went into his lab and created elasticizer, the world’s first pre-shampoo conditioning treatment, to this day he claims this is his hero product.


I found the science behind this product to be very interesting, Philip Kingsley states healthy hair should stretch when it’s wet, before returning to its original length when its dry. If there is no stretch this can lead to break or snap and as a result we end up with split ends.  Elasticizer when applied to damped hair coats the hair in a rich moisture which creates suppleness, and elasticity. He also states that after one application there should be visible results.

I really enjoy using this product, it’s a little bit messy to start with as you need to dampen your hair first, then apply the product to the mid length and ends of your hair.  The instructions said to place a plastic cap over your head for 20 minutes, however I let it dry in naturally and kept it on my hair overnight.

In the morning I wash my hair with any shampoo and conditioner which I have to hand, and dried/straightened it as I normally would and found my hair to have more vitality, bounce and more radiance to my colour. My split ends are less visible and as a result of using this treatment once a week, my hair dresser now complements me on the condition of my hair.  I can now continue to grow my hair without the need to have split ends chopped off every few weeks.