Nails...

Hi everyone!Hope you all doing well!!

Today's post i wanted to dedicate to nails!I was actually trying to think if I were more obsessed with nail products or the ones for hair...mmm tough question!

A couple of years ago I was lucky to try gel nail polish that promised to stay perfect for 2-3 weeks. The first time I went to the beauty salon to get it done and.. my life has changed!! I liked it so much that after contemplating a bit I decided that I don't really want to spend £50 every time I do my nails, so I decided to invest instead and bought the UV lamp and all the gels that I needed to get started. As I was quite inexperienced in that area I thought that £90 for the UV lamp was quite cheap, but later I realised that you can get them for as little as £15, but anyway buying the gel started kit was the best investment ever, as I can do my nails any time at home. Over these two years I've tried so many brands that make gel nail polishes: anything from Harmony, Jessica GELeration, ORLY gelFX, OPI and Shellac. I noticed that a lot depends not on the brand but on the colour of the gel, some are very easy to apply, but some can be very tricky. I buy all my gels from www.beverlybeaute.com, that's an American website and the prices for gels are lower here then on other websites. They have a great selection and it normally takes one week to get your gels delivered, so I find it very convenient. BeverlyBeauty recently introduced Artistic Gloss Colour gels, so I tried it and the first thought that I had was "I need to throw all the gels that I had before and only use Artistic from now on". They are so easy to apply, they cure under UV lamp well and fast, they don't bubble and curl- one word "AMAZING". I would really recommend them if you decide to start doing your gel manicure at home. Many girls asked me before if my nails became weak and flaky since I started using gel polishes, but I should say that as long as you are not being lazy and remove it the way you should using the foil wraps it doesn't damage your nails. Just before Christmas Harmony brought out the VitaGel Recovery which is the gel base coat that strengthens the nails while you wear your gel colour. And it really works, I noticed what a great difference it made to my nails, they are very hard and in the best condition ever.

Today I did my nails using one of the new Artistic Colour Gloss gels in Uptown.

Here on the picture from left to right I've got Harmony VitaGel Recovery, that I use as a base coat; Artistic Colour Gloss in Uptown, which is a very nice dusty pink, and the Shellac top coat, which is very nice, but I'd like to try one of the Artistic top coats when I'm done with this bottle. I find that different brands usually mix quite well, so you don't need to worry if your base coat and colour are from different brands.

Have you ever tried gel manicure?What did you think?Would you do it again?

See you next time,

K

My first entry!Yay!

Hello, everyone! 

Can't believe that I am finally writing here, as it took me almost 5 moths to start my own beauty blog! I kept putting it off and was scared to start blogging! But this morning I felt like it was The Day! I spent a few hours though, thinking about what exactly I should tell you guys first!

I'll start with a bit about myself! My name is Ksenia and I'm a fashion business student in London and I am absolutely obsessed with all the beauty products and love trying something new. I have multiple boxes and bags and other containers filled with little bottles and tubes, they are everywhere!!!

So today I wanted to share my  favourites with you!

So my absolute favourite is the StriVectin Overnight facial Resurfacing Serum.  I suffer with dark spots left after outbreaks that are extremely hard to get rid off or cover up, so I've been looking for some  miracle product that would solve that problem and..Hurray! I think I found it!! You should apply it before bed so it can work its magic over the night, the texture is a bit sticky at first, but once it's all absorbed it feels very pleasant on the skin, oh and it has a light white flower scent. After a few days(nights?) of using it I noticed that my two dark spots have definitely gone lighter!So I totally advise you that super serum if you have a similar problem or just want an even skin tone !!

The next two products are by the brand Algenist that i discovered just before Christmas by looking through SpaceNK brochure with ideas for presents. This American brand had been researching micro algae and made an unexpected discovery, they found a powerful compound that protects the algae cells from harsh environment, the scientist extracted Alguronic acid (the main active ingredient in all their products ) that demonstrated superior results. I could not resist trying it!

Here on the the picture I've got Algenist Gentle Rejuvenating Cleanser and Concentrated Reconstructing Serum. The cleanser is very gentle yet it removes thoroughly all the impurities and make up. I use the serum only in the morning as in the evening it all about StriVectin, but all these products combined significantly improved the way my skin looks: the tone is more even, it is smooth and I have less blemishes. The Algenist products may be a bit pricy, but you do not need to use much so one bottle would last long and it is totally worth it!

Lastly, I wanted to talk about the Coconut oil, mine is by the Lemongrass House and I received it as a Christmas present, by I guess you can find it now in almost any organic shop. There are so many uses to this oil, but my favourite is to use it as a hair mask. I usually do it once a week, I put a generous amount on my hair and wrap my head with a few layers of cling film and then put a towel around it. Normally I would leave it for a couple of hours (but in this case i like to follow the rule "The longer the better"). It can a bit tricky to wash off, it may take 3 shampoos and Voila!- hair feels very silky, smooth and revived.

That's all for today!

See you next time 

K