GOSH Darling Lipstick

I thought I would try GOSH Darling Lipstick which people are raving about being the perfect nude lipstick. The lipstick is a creamy pale pink beige nude colour. It doesnt look like you have concealer on your lips like some nude lipsticks too. I suffer with chapped lips and this lipstick is lovely and creamy in texture and made my lips look soft. Darling goes really well paired with a dark smokey eye.

Elizabeth Arden 8 Hour Cream

Elizabeth Arden's 8 hour cream is brilliant and protects the skin for 8 hours. It lasts absolutely ages as you only need to apply a small amount as it goes a long way. Although its pricey it lasts ages so well worth the money and you get what you pay for. In fact I purchased my tube about 6 years ago! You can use the cream anywhere and it has loads of uses - chapped lips, soothes dry skin, irritated skin, rashes, great for protecting skin in the winter months, spots less red and puffy, dry skin, facial lines, lip salve, flakey nose after a cold!

I dab a little on my eyelashes before i apply masacara - it brings them out a bit more. Its also great also for airline travel - keeps your skin from drying out on long flights. It can be used as a cuticle softener, nail treatment, for dry feet, dry elbows, knees foot creamthen skin highlighter, for hair serum, which defines, controls and helps dryness, mends split ends (temporary) then kids cuts and grazes.

My favourite use for it is after you have put on your make up, dab a little bit on your cheekbones for a fabulous glow. I have also used it as a night moisturiser to perk up dull skin, and I think personally it works a treat. When applied it looks a bit like honey... The only think i dislike is its very sticky when applied and i hate the smell!!

Anyone else have any tips for using this product?

Gel It! Advanced UV Gel System by Ezflow

This Gel It! Advanced UV Gel System kit is by Ezflow. It contains everything you need to create wonderful UV Gel nails at home (minus the curing lamp of course!).

I have yet to try this kit out but i have had a good look at the products and they are all excellant quality. I was a little dispointed to find that a couple of the jars had leaked.

The gels have a lovely perfumed smell to them which is alot nicer than the usual plastic smell! I believe these products are great quality and i love the style of the jars - they look pricey looking instead of the usual plastic cheap looking containers. I cant wait to try these products out! It is worth buying good quality products so ensure that your nails look the best and stay strong for longer. I have bought cheap products from China before and they are ok but the gels are cheap and they dont look as good or last long as usual.

This kit contained a Gel Square shaped Brush, 2 Grey Fox files, 3 sets of nail tips, free form edges, a metal spatular, Ezflow Ez Bond, Gel It!, Cleanse It! cleaning solution, Ezflow primer, cover it!, pink it!, clear it!, edge it!, brush on resin, build it, pink it, builder gel.

Has anyone tried these products before? Do you like them?

Boogie Nights Collection by EzFlow

Ezflow very kindly sent me some products to try from LA. First of all here is the Boogie Nights collection - which is coloured acrylic powder set. The great thing about this set is that any of the powders can be used with any monomer - usually you have to use the same type and brand to mix with the powder or else the chemical reaction to turn it into arylic liquid wont happen! This set came with 12 little pots of different coloured powdered arylic, bottle of monomer and nail tips. I havent tried these yet but this is what i make from the colour of the powder - they may of course look different mixed with the monomer and applied on the nail.

Silver Screen - a lovely glittery silver

Roll out the red carpet - purple/red glitter

Party Train - White glitter

Staying Alive - white with tiny hint of glitter

Hurricane - Bright coral pink with glitter - my favourite shade!

French Quarter - Pale pink glitter

Voodoo - Dark smokey grey (may turn black?)

The Charm - Pages Theater - Dark silver glitter

Dy-No-Mite - white and pink glitter flecks

Mel-Rose - Pretty Rose pink glitter

Jazz Band - Lovely peachy pink with glitter

Nicola Roberts Dainty Doll by Jelly Pong Pong

I purchased two Blush and Contour sets from ASOS - from Nicola Roberts Dainty Doll collection by Jelly Pong Pong. I absolutely adore the packaging of these products - they are really cute.

'Achieve Nicola-esque cheekbones by contouring your healthy blush with the unique darker shade. This silky formula glides on evenly and is infused with jojoba oil. ' the products promise. I love these! They feel smooth and silky on, really easy to apply and gorgeous colours! These products are not tested on animals either.

Bloom is more of a light pinky peach colour and has more shimmer. Blossom is more peachy toned and is more matt.Here are the products i got both Bloom and Blossom:

I have heard a rumour that Nicola is going to bringing out more makeup in the near future, i really hope so :)

Boots No. 7 Nail Ink

These No. 7 Nail Ink Nail polishes from Boots are fab! I got the shade 05 Hanover which appears to be a deep red shade looking at the bottom, but when applied its a lovely deep pink colour. They are highly pingmented but see-through when applied, gives a lovely sheen and unusual effect. I also love the packaging and its an incrediably small bottle so easy to slip in your bag.

The is what is looks like with one coat:

This is with 2 coats:

Nails Inc Nail Polishes Bare and Coral for Instyle Magazine

Last month I purchased 2 instyle magazines purely for the Nails Inc polish....i got the Coral shade and the Nude shade. The dark red shade i have already got - it looked very much like Nails Inc Victoria. I am a fan of Nails Inc polishes but i was very dispointed with these instyle polishes, they didnt seem as good quality, difficult to apply and went streaky. It needed atleast 2-3 coats to make them look OK.

So firstly, Coral - very messy to apply and difficult to work with. It needed 3 coats to look ok as it looked very streaky with 2 coats. Personally, i would keep this colour for the toes! It looks a bit too orange rather than coral i would of prefered more pinky tones. I'm yet to find the perfect coral nail varnish colour this summer!

secondly, bare - this wasnt as bad to apply compared to coral, but it still needed 2 coats. I was a little disapointed in the colour application when applied on my nails as it streaks slightly and the colour is exactly how lovely it looks in the bottle. Its a lovely nude light peachy pink colour. :)

OPI Hot Pink Nails

These two hot pink shades from OPI.... They appear to be very similar in colour when you compare the shades in the bottles but when they are applied they are different. On the left is OPI Party in my cabana which is a darker pink coral shade and on the right is OPI Feelin' hot hot hot which is more of a barbie pink. My favourite of the 2 is the barbie pink of course :)

Nail Polish Collection Storage Ideas

I thought i would share a few colours I really like from my nail polish collection and show you some similar and dupe of shades I have. I store my polishes in clear plastic storage boxes with a lid like this one so im able to quickly find the polish im looking for:

Full Set of U.V Gel Nails with Tips

I created this look on my friends mum, i used natural nail tips and clear U.V gel by star nails. Hope you all like it I shall post some tutorials on how to create these looks at home :)

Attitude by Star Nails

I picked up 3 Attitude Nail Polishes from Star Nails. I got these from Sallys Beauty Supply and they were very cheap! I paid around 3.50 after my beauty discount. I really like them, they are good quality, highly pigmented and easy to apply - I like them more than OPI and they are a fraction of the price! I have been searching for a nice shade of chocolate brown for ages and I love this shade. The colour shades I got were:

1. Golden Amaretto

2. Chocolate Brown

3. Rubberband

I only needed to apply one coat these are the results:

Teeth Whitening Update after 3 days!

Hello everyone,

Just thought id do a quick update on my teeth whitening! I have applied the crest strips for 3 days now (left on for 30 mins per day on both top and bottom) and here is the before and after results:

Before:

After 3 days:

As you can tell what a difference - theres still another 11 days to go!

What do you think?

False Lash Contest!

Hey ladies!

If u'd like to win some false lashes then please click on the link:

http://nicolaarthur99.blogspot.com/2009/08/giveaway-time.html

Good luck xx

I Love GU Puds

Hey guys! Just wanted to say im getting addicted to GU Deserts they are yummy!! Take a look (these are the mini cheeky puds! heaven :)

ROC Hydra + Summer Skin

Hi Ladies, today i got a few bargains from a cheapy beauty shop called home bargains! Firsty I picked up this bargain....ROC Hydra Summer Skin. It is a 'natural and progrssive glow moisturiser' - i actually picked up the dark skin version, but i will use it anyway.

This cost £1.99 ive seen ROC products before in Boots and they are usually expensive.

Usually i find with facial gradual tanners are they bring out a nice colour but the mositurising effect isnt good, they usually feel greasy on my skin too. I applied this ROC cream earlier, and i really liked it - it leaves your skin really soft and sunk in straight away - it wasnt greasy. It also smells nicely scented but not too overpowering. The ROC cream is in the same style of packaging of 2 other facial fake tans ive got - st tropez gradual facial tanner and then johnsons holiday summer skin facial cream in the same yellow packaging. I thought the st tropez one was OK but quite expensive, and the summer skin i hated - too greasy! I also spotted a natural sponge for 39p and i got 2 mini cans of dove silk dry deodorant as they were 19p each ! These are perfect as im going away to london for a week so these ill take with me instead of packing a large can. I was also tempted to get a can of this super cheap fake tan for legs for 99p! i put it in the basket and my mum convinced me it would turn me orange so i put it back on the shelf! i may go back and get it tho just to try it you never know might be another winner like the St Moriz! :)

Ten Top Tanning Tips

1. Always Wear Gloves/Mitts to prevent your palms turning orange!

2. Use a gradual moisturising tanner if your paled skin to look more natural

3. Before you apply self-tanner make sure you’re waxed, shaved and exfoliated, pre-tanning makes the colour last longer.

4. If you use your hands to apply make sure you frequently wash them throughout the application process.

5. Apply two thin layers of self-tanner all over to prevent turning orange or looking unnaturally dark. It is much better to build up the tan gradually than all at once.

6. Exfoliate and Moisturise before applying self-tanner is key. Make sure you concentrate on areas such as the knees and elbows. Blend product in well especially around the hair line.

7. Air Brush tanning means you can contour your body - maximize your cleavage and slim down your legs, arms and stomach to appear thinner looking.

8. Bronze Goddess looks amazing on all skins tones – but not everyone should grab the terracotta. Fair skinned beauties look best in soft taupe and caramel while medium skinned girls should use yellow gold shades. Darker skin tones look best in copper tones.

9. When applying fake tan to the face, don’t slap it on in one layer – instead, start on the apples of the cheeks and hit when the sun would naturally catch your face (same goes when your applying highlights or bronzer powder). Blend in from the cheeks up towards the outer corner of your eyes and blend into your forehead, nose and chin.

10. Give a gorgeous glow to your skin by adding a touch of shimmer to your shoulders and collarbone. You can even add a touch on the tops of your cheek bones for added glamour!

Fake Bake Tanning Review

I used to consider Fake Bake one of my best fake tans in my collection for the colour it turned me – a lovely dark brown tan. The colour I go after applying this is really natural looking, no streaks and no orange in sight at all. It left me with a dark deep tan too. You really need to exfoliate and moisturise before applying this tan for a more flawless finish. I find its best to apply at night after you have had a bath or shower and leave it on overnight to develop. I tried the cream lotion version of the product first, it’s a really dark chocolate coloured cream so you can see where you have applied it which is a bonus, but it does make you look dirty and super tanned almost black but after a few hours it calms down! I found it was very very messy to apply! Its very strongly scented and you get that ‘biscuit’ smell in the morning!

I used the purple latex gloves that came with the tan when applying it (they are alot stronger than the usual white gloves i use that can sometimes split). You need to be quick in applying and rubbing the cream in or it tends to stick to the glove and you get patches and an uneven application. I found that because the product was so dark brown and I had white sheets on my bed I used to put an old towel on top of my sheet to try and prevent stains. However I found that even if the product stained my sheets it easily washed out. I love the colour I go using fake bake the only downside to this product apart from its expensive is im really bad for apply fake tan late at night when im tired and this just takes too long to apply and you need to really rub it in well to avoid going streaky.

The Fake Bake Self –Tanning Lotion:

I have also tried in the Fake Bake Collection their body scrub which was excellent and smelt of oranges. However i think with body scrubs even the cheap ones, scrubbing gloves, sand on the beach or DIY scrubs ones are brilliant! I have the Fake Bake Dry Oil Skin Smoothie which is brilliant to apply before the fake bake and i love the colour – however the bottle tends to leak everywhere :( You need to give it a good shake before spraying onto your skin as the oil separates in the bottle.

The Fake Bake Skin Smoothie:

The most recent out of the Fake Bake collection i have tried is the Fake Bake Instant Self Tanning Spray – Air Brush. Its suppost to give a flawless tan and doesn’t clog the pores. However i find it really difficult to apply – the spray tends to disperse too much of the product and splatters it on so i have to rub it in afterwards. Perhaps its easier to get someone else to spray it on for you? I have only tried this a couple of times maybe i need to give it another go.

The Fake Bake Airbrush Tan is here:

I have seen there is now a Fake Bake Gold – has anyone tried this?

Help with Sleeping Better

Lately i have been staying up late on a night and not being tired to go to sleep then i get up early for work and im tired for the rest of the day! I think this maybe to do with the amount of tea and coffee i drink through the day so im trying to cut back! It is recommended that you have 8 hours sleep per night, but sometimes im lucky if i manage to get 5! However, when i’m feeling stressed I have a couple of tips to help you sleep better. Firstly try to switch off and relax near to bedtime, have a nice warm bath and put on your pyjamas, slippers and dressing gown to get cosy. I always drink a cup of warm milk before i go to bed (i warm mine in the microwave for 1min 30 secs) and at times it knocks me out! Another thing i like to do is spray a little lavender spray on my pillow, or use lavender oil in my candle burner.

I use the Body Shop Lavender Spray:

I got this pure lavender oil from croatia:

And this lavender room oil from marks & spencers:

Have you any more tips you’d like to share on how to sleep better?

Fake Tan Stories

Like everyone I love having a tan! A tan makes our skin look glowing and healthy, gives us a boost of confidence, even changes the way we dress and put makeup on. I feel happier with a tan and feel i can experiement more with makeup and fashion. I find that i dont need to wear as much makeup or bronzer when i have a tan. I don’t use sunbeds and although I love holidays I would rather fake it than bake in the sun. The most depressing thing is building up a great tan on holiday to then peel and loose it 2 weeks later when you return :( When I do go out in the sun I use factor 25/20 on my body then I go down to factor 15 when I have a little bit of colour. I HATE sunburn and strap marks – my pet hates! I also use factor 30 on my face as im paranoid about getting wrinkles – I definitely don’t want leather looking skin when im older! I have got and tried lots of different sun creams so I shall write a blog on those too!

Over the years i have tried alot of different brands of fake tan, ranging from super expensive to dirt cheap. Some are good, some are OK and others are terrible! I have a huge basket of fake tanning products - you could say i was a little obsessed! I have had some really good experiences of achieving the perfect realistic tan - the best for me being a super spray tan by a celeb spray tanner to all the stars in leeds - called hollywood airbrushing tan at a freshers fayre. I look back at the photos and i look like i have been away on holiday. The tan looks fab and lasted around 10 days too - its the only tan i found not to become patchy after a few days too! The fab thing about spray tans is you can even contour your face and body to appear slimmer and look more toned - guys can even appear to have more muscles and create a perfect 6 pack! Along with the good i have also had some horror stories too!

My first experience of applying fake tan was a complete disaster! I when i was about 13 i was looking through my older sisters fashion magazine - and spotted that it came with a free sample sachet of fake tan. i cant remember the brand but it was an expensive designer beauty brand! So i got excited and thought id give it a go....i slapped the whole sachet on my face and of course my hands not knowing then about gloves, mitts or worrying about lines or turning orange! I left it on over night and well the next morning...it was a case of you've been tangoed! I was orange and whats worse was i had a lovely tide mark around my neck and both hands! I also had orange palms! It wouldnt of been so bad as my school jumper would of hidden the lines on my hands but that particular day i had drama where we had to wear t-shirts! So you can imagine what i looked like! lol I remember the teacher telling me to go and wash off 'all that makeup' thinking it was foundation!

Another time i was getting ready for a big night out with my friends and my friend saw a bottle of spray tan on my floor - i believe it was the peachy smelling garnier ambre solaire one. She said oh ill spray tan you! Anyway the bottle must of been nearly empty as she had only done one side and the bottle had ran out!! We didnt have time to do anything about it and all the shops had shut, so i had to go out with one side tanned, one side pale :(
I remember another time i thought it would be a good idea to apply my fake tan and let it develop whilst i was out. The next day i had marks where my shoes had been.....never tried doing that again!

What are your fake tan horror stories?

UV Gel and Arylic Nail Tutorials

hello ladies, please keep an eye out on my blog as i shall be uploading some tutorials on how to do your own U.V Gel and Arylic nail extensions at home! You will save loads of money as getting your nails done in a salon can be expensive and high maintenance. Any requests for nail tutorials please leave a comment. Hope this is helpful to you all. x

The Magic Cream!

Hi Girls - just to update you i applied the sudacreme late last night and slept overnight with it on. This morning i woke up and found my spots had disapeared. This really is magic cream I Love it! x

I Love Sudocrem!

I have had a few spots come up the last few days so tonight i have slapped on some sudocrem and will leave it to work its magic overnight....I shall be spot free in the morning I hope :) For those that dont know sudacrem is nappy rash cream but works wonders on spots! Whats even better is you can buy it absolutely everywhere, boots, superdrug, any supermarket even the corner shop and its only about £2-£3 for a large pot which lasts ages. You only need a tiny amount as its a thick consistency. 


Made primarly for babies its going to be very kind to skin. I love it that much i was thinking of buying a smaller size pot to keep in my bag for emergencies! If you havent already tried it i urge you too! It smells of lavender and I have noticed that lavender is one of the ingredients, so I wonder if lavender based products or lavender facial oil is any good?


Sudocrem is available for less than £3 a pot from Boots.com and Superdrug


Have you tried Sudocrem?

Dermalogica Face Masks

hello lovelies! Just wanted to share with you a couple of my favourite face masks i use. I use ALOT of different facial products and im always switching and changing them. Currently im loving 2 masks....When my face is feeling like it needs a boost of moisture i use Dermalogica Multivitamin Power Recovery masque. I love Dermalogica facials! Alot of celebs like Victoria Beckham rave about using this particular mask. It makes my skin glow like ive been on holiday its fab! I bought it a while ago and it was around £21 for a tube, i bought it online as it was slightly cheaper than the salons and shipped in from the channel islands so i avoided VAT. I usually slap it on and leave it to soak in for about 20-30 mins. The mask is packed with vitamins and is really soothing, it smells delicious like coco butter. Whats funny as when you first apply it, it is a really thick glossy cream and looks like pale coco butter then when it starts to set on your face it turns a bright yellow/orange colour. One thing i should mention is when you remove the mask rinse most of it off before using a sponge or cloth as i have found that it stains white cloths/sponges yellow. It looks like a fake tan gone wrong! I have tried to show in my photos below:

The other face mask i use is Dermalogica Skin Refining masque. I usually use this if my skin has broken out or feeling spotty. It tends to dry up all the oil and spots. I dont use this mask regularly, only if i have spots as its recommended for people with excess oil production. Its a clay white mask and my skin feels really refreshed and clean when i take this off. I usually leave on for about 20-30 mins and sometimes i leave on overnight to completely dry up my spots. I have to say sometimes it stings me a little this mask if my skin is feeling sensitive. I think this mask was around £15 for the tube i bought online and it was slightly cheaper than buying from a salon.

Oooooh I have recently been having Elemis facials and i absolutely LOVE them. My skin always looks amazing, i feel really relaxed, the massages and treatments are the best ive ever had and the products smell amazing! They are expensive but they are worth every penny. I have got the odd elemis product already but when ive used up a few products im looking to invest in some more elemis :)