I feel like acrylic nails are such a taboo subject. People either love them, or hate them!I, of course, love them! 

I never really understood the fascination with them to begin with - although that was back in the day when false nails were square and had fat white tips. I never liked them! However, over the years, the shapes have changed - oval, almond, stiletto! I prefer these.

I've always enjoyed having false nails. I can type, write and do all normal things with them. I hate the shape of my natural nails, as well as the condition of them. My nails have always been brittle and can never grow past a certain length. I prefer false nails as they're stronger, neater and I feel like my hands look more feminine.

It's become a bit of a tradition for me and my mum to now go and get our nails done once a month, which I love. We grab a coffee, choose a nail colour and enjoy spending a little bit of quality time together!

I've had a few different shapes, too. These are known as 'Coffin' tips. 

These were supposed to be coffee tips, but I went to a different nail bar, where these were butchered! They snapped in two days!

By far, my favourite! I love the colour, shape, length! I'm going to get mine done again for the first tine in nearly 5 weeks! They're so overgrown, I can't wait!

I never really thought about the importance of hand cream, until I worked in care.  I always thought it was a gimmick; a way for companies to make money.

However, when I started working in care, washing my hands every fifteen minutes and using hand sanitiser before and after every activity, I noticed my hands were becoming dry and cracked. They were painful to touch and generally felt really 'un-feminine'. 

I found that hand creams helped a lot! And a quick favourite of mine became the Lush 'Helping Hands' hand cream. Instantly, my hands felt softer and more nourished. The cracking stopped, the tightness of my skin was no more, and I was able to have 'feminine' hands again!

What's so special about Lush 'Helping Hands' hand cream?

Lush Helping Hands has a very thick, almost buttery consistency and texture. A great positive of  the product, is the length of time it lasts! I've owned this pot for a LONG time, and I still have so much product left. 

Unlike most other Lush products, this cream smells very mild so if you're not into 'lush' scented hand creams, this is for you!  And the best way to use it? AT NIGHT! I smother my hands (and sometimes my feet!) with this and just let it sink in overnight and work its magic!

From the website: Time for a little thirst aid? This hardworking pot of creamy, Fair Trade, organic cocoa butter and hydrating honey will nurse your hands back to health. Calming chamomile water and restorative almond oil have a wonderful bedside manner, while rich, reparative shea butter from The Ojoba Women's co-operative in Ghana is quickly absorbed into the skin for a silky-smooth finish. There’s no prescribed way of doing things: just dab or scoop as much as you like into your palms and rub all over.

 

I was browsing around eBay a while back, trying to find some cheap make-up, mainly to review. I stumbled across a load of 'fake' make-up, essentially rip off  items of the real product. There were Anastasia palettes, MAC Lipsticks, Foundations, and this. The Kylie Lip kit.  It was for bidding, and no one had bid with only 50 seconds to go. At £6.00 I thought it was worth the gamble - and I won it! The description stated it was 100% real, but seriously?! who's believing that!

The shade I got was "Moon". The kit itself came in this white box, and inside was the liquid lipstick and matching lip liner. Both were untouched (you could tell by the pencil and the wand on the lipstick!). I was super impressed by these, even if it is fake! I'm not the kind of person that will happily spend £30-£40 on premium make-up, when I can get something cheaper with the same quality! I will always favour High Street over High End.

The consistency is great! The liquid lipstick is really opaque, great quality and long lasting! The liner glides on nicely, and doesn't feel like a pencil - more like a soft crayon. There's no messy residue, so nothing has to be neatened up afterwards. The colours match perfectly. I like to line my lips first, then fill in the pencil with the liner, and finally do a full layer with the lipstick to complete the look.

This colour is great for daily use like work, or going to lunch with friends. Its super durable, so no touching up required! If you want to purchase the real thing, you can find it here.

There are some great dupes out there to this shade too! 

Barry M Liquid Lipstick 'On The Scene'

New Look Liquid Lipstick 'Stone'

PROS: Long Lasting / Great Quality / Cheap Dupe

CONS: Not easily available at cheap price!

I've always been a bit mad when it comes to face masks. Considering I have very sensitive skin, I've only ever had one reaction. My extensive collection of the skincare products range from heat masks, to clay, detox to blackhead peels. I have a face mask for every occasion!

So, when I saw that L'Oreal had bough out their own range of face masks, I was very excited, to say the least!

There are three types of mask available, depending on your skin type: Purity, Detox and Glow.

Purity: "pure clay face mask for clogged pores

 with the power of Eucalyptus to purify and mattify your skin in just 10 minutes"

Detox: "acts like a magnet to clean out pores and draw-out and capture deep impurities (such as dirt, oil, and pollution). "

Glow: "a super-charged pure exfoliating clay mask enhanced with Red Algae 

Extract to exfoliate and refine your skin in just 10 minutes. "

I love that this mask comes in a glass jar, instead of a tube like most other face masks. I mean, a tube is more of a space saver - but having a product in a jar just feel so much more special. You feel like you're treating yourself! I would also recommend using an old makeup brush to apply this, as it could get quite messy with fingers! 

Once this is removed, my skin feel utterly amazing. I'm not even exaggerating. It feels like silk. I don't have the smoothest of skin, but even I love the feeling of it after this mask! 

The best thing about this product? The price! In Boots at the moment, it is just £5.99, and has a promotion on with their skincare which you can view here.

It is also available in Superdrug, and they also have a promotion within the range, which you can view here.

PROS: Cost / Quality / Easy to apply / Left with beautiful skin

CONS: Takes a while to dry

Who doesn't like a matte lip, seriously? I for one, have become fully obsessed with the whole liquid lipstick 'franchise'. So, when I saw these Super Matte Liquid Lipstick's in New Look around Christmas time, I knew I had to get one! I ventured to my local NL store, to find that the shade I wanted, Fawn, was in stock! And so, I purchased it.

Now for the pros and cons. I'll start with the negatives, as there are a couple of little issues. The first problem I encountered with this particular lipstick, was that the wand was broken. I opened the packaging of the lipstick when I got it home, to find the wand must have been bent during manufacture. I was super disappointed! Due to the wand being bent, I really struggled to apply the lipstick using it.

 I mean, it wasn't the end of the world - I could still use it! I just had to use extra equipment, when I was expecting to just use what's provided! 

Fortunately, I contacted NL via Twitter, who were incredibly helpful. They offered me money off of another one, as well as free next day delivery, so I was really happy!