Week 36 manicure challenge feat. £1 gel nails

Last week I showed you the Gel Perfect polish I got from Poundworld, now this week I can tell you my thoughts. 

I tried the shade orchid. The first disappointment was that it is a major faff to apply. You have to put a layer of the activator, gel, activator, gel then activator again. In between that you are meant to clean the gel brush. 

However, once applied I liked the look of it. It was nice and thick, like proper gel nails. 

BUT... It didn't last 24 hours before chipping. My nails are quite weak and bendy. So as soon as I caught my nail and it bended, the gel started to chip off. It was such a shame as they did look so good when freshly done. 

For someone with strong nails this might be the bargain of the century. But for me, I don't think it's going to work out. :(

Magazine freebie watch

I saw In Style magazine in WH Smith today, which comes with free L'Occitane shampoo and conditioner. They are the travel size, but still an absolute bargain for the total price of £2.50. I am now kicking myself for not picking up a copy and some freebies. Back to the shops I go tomorrow. 

Latest in Beauty Editor's Picks Unboxing

I've never bitten the bullet and got on the Glossybox bandwagon, but a subscription will be on my birthday list again this year. Maybe one day I'll get it!

I have subscribed to a number of beauty related sites since starting this blog and one of them is Latest in Beauty. I occasionally get emails from them and consider buying things, but until now I hadn't. They work different to Glossybox in that rather than having a subscription, they put together boxes and you can buy them as and when.

I got an email advertising a couple of their  latest boxes and had a little browse at the contents. The "Editor's Pick" box instantly grabbed my interest and bingo the email also had a 15% off code that lasted until midnight. It was 11:57pm and I was laying in bed so I swiftly clicked the buy me button and put in the discount code, it worked so I ordered.

Five days later my box arrived.

This is what I got:

1 x Bellápierre Mineral Eye Shadow (2.35g)
1 x AS London Candle
1 x EVE LOM Rescue Mask (15ml)
1 x Mavala Rouge Rubis Nail Varnish (5ml)
1 x Mirenesse Lip Lift Moisture Shine (1.5g)
1 x Nicky Clarke Instant Calmer (30ml)
1 x Nspa Melting Cleansing Gel (30ml)
1 x The Vintage Cosmetics Company Eye Shadow Brush (Full Size)
1 x Benefit They're Real Mascara (3.0g)
1 x Yardley Refreshing Body Spray (75ml)

Pretty good for £11 after the discount (original price £12.95 - still good value in my opinion).

I carefully removed the products one by one, inspecting each as I went. It was so exciting to have all these new products in front of me to try. They all were 100% usuable to me which was great. I know these boxes can be a bit hit and miss, and sometimes you get things and decide they aren't for you.

On first spray, I wasn't overly impressed with the Yardley "refreshing" body spray. I got the scent English Rose and found it to be quite old fashioned. But later it did grow on me, though I wouldn't call it refreshing!

Something that immediately impressed me was the Mirenesse lip gloss. I have no idea what shade I got but it is a nude/brown with maybe a lilac undertone. I love the colour and it lasts really well. It's got smart packaging and is very wearable. 

I will write reviews on the other products as and when I use them, and link them from the items in the list above. But in the meantime I would recommend you pick up this beauty box before they sell out.

Ciaté nail polish free with Marie Claire

This month's Marie Claire comes with a free Ciaté nail polish (and a Jergens moisturiser).

There are two great colours available; a pastel peachy pink called Pocket Money and a light shimmery gold called Sand Dune.

These are well worth the £3.80 you pay for the magazine seeing as Ciaté polishes retail at £9.

The colours are a great addition to my collection and perfect for Spring. They complement each other nicely too.

Fruity hand sanitiser

Fruity hand sanitiser: ★★★★★


Found these fruity hand sanitisers in Wilkinson today for 50p - an absolute bargain I know!

I bought both the berry and citrus. They are mini 50ml bottles, so perfect for your handbang or in your room with your makeup.

They smell great and do the job. Get down to Wilko and buy these! 

Cheap but quirky eBay tat

I am a bit of a bargain hunter, and have recently taken to doing searches on eBay for "lowest price first" or "ending soonest" in the beauty category. A few weeks ago I came across this...

A waterproof liquid eyeliner in the shape of a Japanese doll. It was so cute and on an auction starting at 1p so I thought I'd try and grab one. After missing out on a few, I eventually picked up this little beauty for 75p. Absolute bargain.

It is not only a pretty decent liquid eyeliner, but looks adorable on my dressing table (on top of my Muji drawers) too!

Tip of the week: love eBay!