SensatioNail Deluxe Starter Kit Offer £105 reduced to £39.50!

SensationNail contains everything you need to do your own gel polish nails at home. There is no drying time as the polish is set under a LED lamp and it promises up to 2 weeks of shiny, chip-free wear! This kit is ideal if you are fed up of nail polish chipping or looking to save money by doing your nails yourself rather than visiting a salon. I am currently sporting the Raspberry Red shade and I shall be reporting back on how I found the system very soon and sharing my top tips to creating the perfect gel polish manicure along with how best to remove gel nails as I get frequently asked this question! 

I wanted to give you the heads up about a fantastic 'Star Gift' offer Boots are running starting tomorrow Friday 29th November 2013 and running until midnight Thursday 5th December! SensatioNail Deluxe Starter Kit was £105 reduced to £45 in the Boots offer! That's not all if you purchase this kit over the weekend when Boots are offering triple advantage card points so you end up gaining another £5.40 in value making the kit just £39.50! 

SensatioNail Deluxe Starter Kit (enough for over 20 manicures/pedicures) contains: 

SensationNail Pro 3060 LED Lamp with mains adaptor; 2 full size colour polishes (Taupe Tulips & Sugar Plum); 1 full size base/top coat; 1 full size cleanser; Nail primer; Pack of 12 lint-free wipes; Nail Buffer & removal tool. The kit also comes with a voucher for £3 off a SensatioNail colour gel polish. 

This would make a brilliant Christmas gift or a present to yourself ;)

Olympic Gold Nail Art

It's the last day of The Olympic Games and Team GB have done so well winning 28 29 Gold Medals!! The athletes have found a new way to show their patriotism: Nail Art has adorned everyone from Rebecca Adlington to Zara Dampney Rebecca Adlington sported a Union Jack mani as she scooped up her bronze medal in the Women’s 400m Freestyle and even GB Volleyball hopeful Zara Dampney sported a Union Jack design on her ring finger. 

I thought I would show you how to embrace the Olympic Spirit and get the look in an instant with these brilliant Nail Rock Gold Union Jack Flag Nail Wraps - I have had so many compliments on my gold nails this week as they really stand out! Here I have applied the wrap directly to my nails, folded the remaining excess edge over and filed down using the nail file that comes in the pack.

Make sure you smooth the wrap firmly over the nail to prevent air bubbles and the wraps can last up to 7 days on the fingers and up to 8 weeks on the toes and simply peel off - best of all there's no drying time! Nail Rock Nail Wraps are priced at £6.65 per pack (full set for fingernails and toes) and available from Nail Rock and ASOS. What do you think to my Olympic Gold Flags Nails?

How to: Remove CND Shellac Gel Nails At Home

I have been requested many time to write a post on how to remove Shellac Nails at home so thought as I have just removed mine today I would explain the simple removal process for you do to at home! I will say however tempting it is don't pick or peel off the gel don't do it as this will damage your natural nails underneath. If you remove the gel properly yourself (or professionally) then there will be no damage to your natural nails. This step will also work for other Gel Polish brands and also makes removing Glitter Nail Polish far easier!

What you will need:
Acetone or Gel Remover, 
Nail File,
Towel (to protect your surface), 
Cotton Wool Pads, 
Aluminium Tin Foil,
Wooden Orange Stick (Hoof Stick), 
Nail Buffer,
Cuticle Oil,

Optional:
Moisturising Hand Cream, Nail Treatment

Step One:
Firstly gather all your tools in front of you and lightly buff over the nails using your nail file to break the top coat seal.  

Step Two:
Saturate a cotton wood pad with acetone and place over your nail, wrap a square of tin foil around the nail to secure. Repeat for both hands and leave to work for 10-15 minutes. If it is easier you can do one hand at a time so you can still function with the other!

Step Three:
After 15 minutes pull off each foil wrap and you will notice that the gel will have  lifted and become loose, and you can use the Orange Stick to gently push off any remaining gel.  

Step Four:
Buff your Nails using the Buffer to smooth any ridges and add a shine and massage in some cuticle oil. If your nails are weak or flaky you can apply a nail treatment and apply some moisturising hand cream if you wish. 

Let me know what you think if you try this at home. How do you normally remove your Gel Nails?

DIY Facial at Home

Not everyone can afford to splash out on the luxury of a salon facial, but that doesn’t mean you can’t receive the same benefits! It is really simple to do yourself at home and you don’t have to spend a lot of money on expensive products.

It is really important to take care of your skin and find a skincare regime that works for your skin type. I use a whole range of different brands and I am always discovering new ones. Also, I tend to switch masks and mositurisers depending on the weather or what my skin needs! To top it off, I tend to give myself a facial once or twice a week. It is nice to take 30 minutes out to relax and pamper yourself.

You can do these steps whilst watching TV, or – better still – whilst you are relaxing in the bath as your pores will open with the heat. To create that Spa at home feel you could light some candles, put some relazing music on and spritz some aromatherapy spray in the air, or put a couple of drops of essential oils on your hot cloth.

To begin, I like to remove my eye makeup with Bioderma H2O micellar water and some cotton pads, I will then apply a cleansing oil or luxurious balm and massage that into my dry skin in circular motions. I will then add a few drops of water to turn the oil into rich milk, massage in, then remove with a hot muslin cloth. It is nice to place the cloth over your face for a few seconds to open the pores and get a deeper clean.

After rinsing, I take a cream or foaming cleanser and massage in to ensure my skin is thoroughly clean, and I will remove the cleanser using a hot facial cloth. I will then sweep my skin with toner – sprayed onto cotton pads – to add hydration, nourishment, and remove any traces of cleanser to freshen up my skin. Oily skin types should go for toners that balance facial oil content, such as lemon, tea tree and peppermint. For dry, sensitive skins, go for rose, tangerine and elderflower to soothe and calm.

To really decongest your pores and brighten up your skin, steam cleanse your face once a week. This is good for almost all skin types, though sensitive skins and those of high colour may wish to skip this step. You don’t even need to buy a facial steamer! Simply pour boiling water into a bowl and add essential oils (lavender, rose, geranium and eucalyptus) to clear your lungs and calm nerves. Inhale steam deeply several times, and then place an ice cold compress on your face to tone up your skin and close the pores.

Following this, I will use a facial scrub or fruit enzyme mask to exfoliate dead skin cells which leaves my skin super smooth and soft. Next, I will apply a hydrating face mask all over my face and neck avoiding the eye area and leave on for 15-20 minutes. If I am in the bath, I will also use an eye mask or soak some cotton pads in brightening eye lotion – you could even opt for refreshing cucumber slices which is a great help to puffy eyes!

I then warm a few drops of facial oil (rose oil is good for anti-aging) in the palm of my hands, and massage them into my face and neck in deep circular movements to lift the face. In efforts to improve micro-circulation of the skin, I stimulate pressure points around my eyes and brows, and gently pinch the skin around my eyes. To do the same, simply work in an upward direction to lift your muscles, and massage outwards towards the lymph nodes on the neck to encourage the toxins and excess fluid out of your system. To finish, I apply a rich eye cream treatment around my eyes, and apply a goodhydrating night cream all over my face and neck.

I hope you get into a facial regime that works for you! Have you tried a DIY facial at home?

DIY Simple U.V Gel Overlay Nails at home Series! French Manicure Gel Nails

hello ladies!
I have been getting alot of requests on how to create UV Gel and Acrylic Nail extensions at home, so i thought i would do a series of blogs and step by step guides with photographs to help you create your own Nail extensions. UV Gel Nails can cost anything from £25-60 in salons so im going to show you how to do them much cheaper at home! I’m going to show you how to create your own UV Gel nails at home. I thought we would start with the easiest U.V Gel Nails to start with and these are U.V Gel Overlays on top of your natural nails which are like having permanent nail varnish applied to your nails that wont chip! I have created a French Manicure look here, but you can also use coloured gel (which i shall do another blog post about), nail art or simply clear over the top of your natural nails. You can of course use acrylic but Gel looks the best as creates a smoother, thinner and shiny end result. I shall be uploading a blog on how to remove your UV Gel without damaging your natural nails.

For this look (UV Gel Overlay French Manicure) you will need the following:

A small Towel to protect your table
A sheet of Couch Roll or you can use kitchen paper
A UV Gel Lamp (I use a 36W with 180 sec timer) to cure your nails
Non-Acetone Nail Varnish Remover

Hand Sanisizer
Cuticle Remover (I use a creamy one)
2 Orange Sticks
Nail Buffer
Lint free Paper wipes
Gel Wipe Off Solution
Clear Gel
Pink Gel
White Gel
Gel Brush
4 Way Nail Buffer
Nail Dehydration (PH balanced)
Cotton Wool Pads
Cotton Buds
Nail Files

Step one:
Lay out your towel, with couch roll over the top and get all your products and tools set out ready. I like to place a place mat underneath the Gel Lamp just to protect my table.

Step Two: Sanitize your hands and nails. Remove any nail varnish using the non-acetone nail varnish remover with cotton wool pads. I always wipe the nails with nail varnish remover before starting as this acts as a good base to dry the nails out of any moisture.
Step Three:

Take a cotton bud and apply a small amount of cuticle remover and wipe with a rolling action around the cuticle area of each nail. Then take an orange stick and gently push back the cuticle. If necessary you can cut away the excess cuticle you have pushed back with either cuticle nippers or a cuticle knife.
Step Four:
Once the cuticles have been pushed back you can then buff the nail using the nail buffer to remove moisture in the nail and prepare it for the Gel to adhere to. After buffing you can then rough grit around the cuticle area using the nail file.
Step Five:
Brush on some PH balanced nail dehydration solution onto each nail. Your nails are now prepared for applying UV Gel onto them. You should wipe your Gel Brush using the Gel Wipe solution and a lint free wipe to remove any dust and to clean your brush. I wrap my brush in tin foil when not in use – as it is important to store your UV Gel and brushes in a cool dark place and not to let your brushes or gel get in contact with direct sunlight or your Gel Lamp. It is important to look after them well as they can be expensive to buy and any contact with sunlight can cause your brushes and gel to become solid and damaged.

Step Six:

Start with the Clear gel, and apply a small amount onto the Gel Brush, wiping off the excess. Carefully apply the Gel to the nail starting at the cuticle, you want to get as close as possible to the cuticle but leave a tiny gap in-between the cuticle and where you’re applying the gel. If you flood the cuticle area, this will just create a lift once the nail has cured. At this stage if you have dropped some gel onto your skin or made a mistake you can wipe off with the gel wipe and start again. Practise makes perfect with this –you are aiming to get no air bubbles when you have cured the nails and wanting to create a smooth even finish. The trickiest part is around the cuticle area.
Once you have perfected the nail with the clear gel be careful not to smudge and place hands underneath the Gel Lamp and cure for 180 seconds. (Curing Times vary to which brand of lamp you use and also which gel you use so you should always go with what the manufacturer recommends – or a bit of trial and error – you can over cure and under cure nails) It is best to buy a lamp with a timer so you don’t over cure the nail and end up with lumps or air bubbles.


Step Seven:

Once the clear base coat is cured, apply the second coat of gel using the white gel. Carefully paint on the white gel only on the smile line like you are doing the white part on a French manicure. You can correct mistakes using the end of an orange stick to make the line really smooth and perfectly formed. Once your happy with your smile line, cure under the gel lamp for 180 seconds. If your brush gets a bit sticky or too clogged up you can clean it by using the gel wipe on a lint paper - make sure you dont use acetone to clean as you shall ruin your brushes!

Step Eight:

After you have cured the white smile line, next take the pink gel and apply over the whole nail but leaving a small gap around the cuticle area. Cure under the gel lamp for 180 seconds.
Step Nine:

Once you have cured the pink gel, take a small amount of gel wipe solution on a lint-free wipe and wipe over the nail to remove the sticky layer of gel. File the nail to the shape you wish and buff to smooth down the nail. Be careful not to file too much as the gel will weaken and break off.

Step Ten:

One you have filed and buffed the nail apply the top clear coat of gel and cure for 180 seconds. Once cured take a small amount of gel wipe solution on a lint-free wipe and wipe over the nail to remove the sticky layer of gel. This whole 10 set process should take between 45 minutes to an hour to create a full set of UV Gel French Manicure Overlays.

Hope this blog was useful - please feel free to comment below if you have any questions :)