REVIEW: Ciaté Caviar Manicure

I received this Ciaté Caviar Manicure set as a birthday gift from a friend! I've been out of the whole nail art thing for a few years now. I used to do all sorts of patterns and designs, then I stopped painting at all for a good year, and only recently got back into the habit of painting my nails. Although just plain colour and that's it.

So this is a nice and easy way to make my nails look more interesting than just a plain coat of colour!

You get a bottle of caviar micro pearls, a bottle of black nail polish, and a funnel.

Close up of the caviar pearls

It was my first time using this, and I only did the ring fingers of each hand as I think doing all of them like this would be too over the top.

It's important to keep everything in the packaging, as the plastic lid doubles up as a tray to catch the pearls when you pour them over your nails, and makes it easier to pour back through the funnel into the bottle, to reduce any wastage!

For my first experience trying this out, I did find it difficult to get a nice even spread of pearls. There are some gaps on the nails that are not covered! I need more practice. I'm not used to the feeling of having things stuck onto my nails, the raised texture and all. Also paranoid that the pearls are going to drop/fall off into my food and I'll end up eating it...

In the included booklet, it said that the best way to seal the pearls is to apply a top coat to only the tip of the nail?

You can see the little gaps in the photo. It's an interesting look... I'd never do this to all of my nails though. Reason being is that when they start to fall off, it'll be uneven and start to look a bit mank! One nail on each hand is enough for me.

This product isn't something that I would by for myself. It was nice to receive it as a gift though, as I've got the chance to try it out, something I never thought of anyway.

I'll be a good pairing with my Tsubasa inspired nails I used to rock a few years back! 

REVIEW: Garnier Olia permanant hair colour

It was time for me to do a root touch up as I've been dying my hair for many years now, 8 years to be exact! I've stuck to having some sort of brown shade for about 5 years, with the odd bleaching it ginger and attempting to go back to my natural hair colour here and there inbetween.

I picked up the new Garnier Olia dye pack as I saw it has no ammonia, and it's oil powered! My choice of colour is always a really light frosty/ashy/pearly blonde as this is the best way for people with naturally dark hair to achieve a lighter brown shade of dyed hair... It's notorious for us to end up with ginger tints everytime we dye our hair though. So I always expect it now.

I found the shape of the bottle slighter harder to grip compared to previous designs which is the standard cylinder shape. The applicator tip is also different to what I usually use which comes with a comb applicator, or foams and masks. All that said, it wasn't that bad, still did the job and all.

The smell of the formula is much better than others with a quite potent pang to it! I think that's the ammonia smell?

The way I apply hair dye when it's like this is a squirt a line across the roots and use a plastic tooth comb to distribute it through.

At the end my hair came out like this:

It came out pretty orange! It's not as orange anymore after a couple of washes and me trying out a new shampoo (for blondes)... I think it isn't the right chose of shampoo that I chose.. but i'll talk about that in another post :D

Final verdict is that I think this is one of the better hair dyes I have used! It isn't drying and does what I expect it to, the formula is brilliant too.

I won't say the best because my actual desired hair colour isn't achievable without having to bleach/lighten and tone it. Maybe I'll do it some day!

NEW: Jewellery Display

I've been wanting to get a jewellery display/stand for quite a while but I couldn't find a nice one, or they were too expensive for what it was. Then of course I looked on eBay and I found the perfect one, for a decent price!

The reason for wanting one in the first place is because I'd previously just kept them in boxes that they came in when I purchased them, and they were just stacking on top of each other and making it harder for me find the ones I wanted to wear, which takes up precious time for me getting ready!! So this was a must for me, and it had to be nice and pretty.

I like this design as there's 3 little birds on a tree. This came in either bronze/gold or silver, I opted for silver as the majority of my jewellery is silver at the moment... I might buy the bronze/gold one as well when i get more gold jewellery and my current one gets full.

The price I got this for is £7.30. In stores their ones were selling for around £16, and the design wasn't as nice a this one I found on eBay. I really love this! It even has a tray at the bottom for studs and things you can't hang.

When you receive the package, it will come in two parts. The tray and the branch needs to simply be screwed together and that's it! Simple. 

NEW: Lipstick storage

One problem of just storing ANY makeup in just a makeup bag is that you'll have to always dig around to look for the product you want. This got very annoying for me especially when I was in a rush to get ready in the mornings!!

I have a dedicated makeup drawer,which actually isn't big enough to fit everything I want so I have a makeup bag as well. 

I've already organised a lot of my makeup and my next step was to organise my lip products.

I had a look around and found the best deal on eBay (yet again) around £2.72 for a 12 slot lipstick holder! What a bargain. In TK Maxx, they were selling a 6 slot for £4.99.... I thought  that was too little for that price and I was right.

It's sturdy and nice, and great value for money! Definitely recommend buying off eBay! 

I will buy more when my lipstick collection get bigger for sure!

NEW: Makeup Brush Storage

I've already shared photos of this on my instagram and facebook, but now I've decided to blog about just talk about it in more detail.

I used to store my brushes in this stationary pot:

But I found that after a while dust will start to settle on the heads of my brushes so I'd have to wash them again even if I haven't used the brush at all (this is in a span of 1-2 weeks). So I decided it was time for me to look for a better storage system for my brushes. At first I was looking at the brush pouches that can roll up, kind of like a makeup brush belt holder thing that makeup artists use, but i just wanted the roll and not a belt version. I came across a couple of nice one, but the issue with those were that they didn't hold much brushes. I then found this lovely brush holder!

I got mine on eBay. This holder has 26 slots to hold 26 brushes! It's great for drying brushes after washing them, not letting dust settle on the brush heads, and organisation!

Slots:
16 small slots
6 medium slots
4 big slots

It's easy to assemble, I didn't even look at instructions, it's a simple slotting together. When you receive it it'll have a layer of brown paper stuck on top which you need to peel off.

I'd definitely recommend this product to you guys as I really love it! Its a 3 in 1 product, why would you say no? But I admit I am a bit OCD and I'm currently going on a storage spree :p      

Eyeliner collection!

Hello everyone!

I'm going to be sharing my current eyeliner collection so far.

Here is all I currently have

I'll start off with the E.L.F eyeliners.

From Top: E.L.F Mineral Eyeliner in Coffee. E.L.F Brightening eyeliner in Black. E.L.F Shimmer eyeliner pencil in Gunmetal. E.L.F Shimmer eyeliner pencil in Black.

 

 

From Left: Shimmer Black. Shimmer Gunmetal. Brightening Black. Mineral Coffee

The shimmer eyeliners look really pretty, the other two are just quite plain and normal. I don't use these at all because they smudge really easily! Not good.

From Left: Shimmer Black. Shimmer Gunmetal. Brightening Black. Mineral Coffee.

It's a shame really since I really do like the shimmer liners, but hey, what can I expect from a budget makeup brand hmm?

Will definitely not purchase these again. I can't deal with smudging makeup...




Next up is BarryM   

Kohl pencil by BarryM in shade 18

 

I really don't like this pencil. I've actually had this for MANY years now... I have no idea how old it is. I'm not sure if it dried up because it's really old, but its really hard to apply and it's scratchy. I had to draw over and over to get it to show up like this on my arm, and it made the area sore from all the scratching...

Also because it is a purple eyeliner which is a colour I don't opt to line my eyes with on a daily basis. AND, it smudges too.

Onto the Rimmel liners.

Top: Exaggerate waterproof eye definer. Bottom: Soft Kohl kajal eyeliner pencil.

 I use the Exaggerate waterproof liner currently to line my water line as i find this soft and easy to apply without having to keep scratching/scraping it on my waterline. It is a retractable pencil where you just twist the top to let the product come out, it also comes with a spongy smudger on the other end of the pencil to help create a smokey eye look, and a sharpener if you pull the sponge end of the pencil out.

Left: Exaggerate waterproof eyeliner. Right: Soft Kohl kajal eyeliner.

Left: Exaggerate waterproof eyeliner. Right: Soft Kohl kajal eyeliner.

Both pencils also smudge. Which is why I only use to line my waterline.



Miss Sporty Mini-me eyeliner.

050 Snow

It was actually hard for me to focus on this swatch because it was quite faint.

Then when I did a smudge test it almost nearly disappeared.

I bought this years ago to do the whole 'highlight the inner corner of your eyes to brighten and widen them' but when I did it on myself, I didn't like it at all. I'll maybe use this for occasions such as Halloween.


Maybelline Gel liner

Eyestudio Lasting Drama Gel Liner 01 Black

I think my gel liner is getting a bit dry now hence why the application isn't as smooth as it used to be. I used to use this gel liner a lot because it would stay put on my eyelids.

It does smudge so you have to be careful, which is why I stopped using it and drifted onto liquid liners!



Liquid liners

From Top: Eyeko Skinny liquid eyeliner Navy. Eyeko Skinny liquid eyeliner Black. Eyeko eye do liner. Make Up For Ever Aqua Liner 15. Rimmel Exaggerate eyeliner 001

From Left: Eyeko Skinny Navy. Eyeko Skinny Black. Eyeko Eye Do. Make Up For Ever 15. Rimmel 001.

From Left: Eyeko Skinny Navy. Eyeko Skinny Black. Eyeko Eye Do. Make Up For Ever 15. Rimmel 001.

Liquid liners are currently my favourite right now, I'm always reaching for them. The one i'm using on a regular basis right now is the Make Up For Ever Aqua Liner in shade 15. I forgot the name of the shade... I originally wanted a black colour but they had sold out so I went for the next darkest shade which was this shimmery grey one. Quite happy with it!

As you can see above, only the Rimmel liner smudges, the others do not budge one bit!

I prefer the 'pot' style liners such as the Make up for ever and rimmel liquid liners, as the applicator will always have an even coat of product on it. As for the Eyeko liners, they are a felt tip applicator, and my eye do one has slightly dried out so when I attempt to draw a cat eye, it comes out really rough and uneven, rather than the straight sharp line I am trying to achieve. I find the 'pot' liners much easier to achieve a straight sharp line. Though I must say, I really did like the Eyeko liners when I first got it them (before they started to dry up). I store the Eyeko ones upside down (tip down) to help keep the product near the tip to keep it moist and ready for use, but it's still quite rough.

All in all, liquid liners are my go to right now!

I hope this post was interesting to you...

Until next time~~~!

REVIEW: SD Hair 7 Day Pack

I used the SD Hair 7 Day pack before my graduation day, as of course I want my hair to be super nice and healthy looking!! (Well at least I'll try ahaha)

I must admit that I got slightly confused of how to pull off the sticky back to tape it in place [not pictured as it was moist and I was standing in the middle of my room panicking holding it] , when I tried to pull it off it peeled off put the paper was still stuck onto it, as in it ripped in half. During this process it dropped off my head as well so I had to put all my hair back in again. After figuring that all out, it wasn't hard to use after haha!

Instructions:

• Dry excess water after washing hair with a towel. 
• (My own extra step) It didn't say to do this, but I brushed through my hair with a tangle teaser to get rid of any tangles and make sure its all smooth with no knots, to help provide an even distribution of the product.
• Tilt your head upside down and put all your hair into the mask and secure into place.
• Gently massage the mask and leave on for 5-15 minutes depending on how much treatment you want for your hair. (I'd go for the full 15 minutes!)
• Remove mask and rinse hair with warm water
• Dry and style as usual.

Here's a tip, when I first removed the mask from the packing, it was folded up. You might want to gently rub the mask in your hands before using it, to help the product inside evenly distribute allowing a more full coverage of the whole head.

Verdict
I actually really liked the results of this hair mask! It left my hair noticeably softer, shinier and moisturised. Usually after blowdrying my hair, the ends of my hair would be really dry and brittle (due to me dying my hair all the time! So this was amazing and made my hair look and feel healthy.

This product works for me and it's definitely what my hair needs! Will use this hair mask again as it is easy to use (yes, even after my initial struggle)  

I got mine from Fafa Beauty. Use my code "ruixrai5off" for a 5% discount on your purchases!

Review: LEADERS Sheet Masks

I have tried 3 different types of sheet masks from LEADERS who are a Korean brand. Here are the masks:

LEADERS Teatree Relaxing Skin Renewal Mask

LEADERS Mela-Tox Skin Clinic Mask

LEADERS Wrinkle Filler Skin Renewal Mask

I let my boyfriend try out the Teatree mask as he has more skin problems than I do, such as acne scars, blemishes and spots. He really liked how his skin felt after using it and noticed his skin looked slightly better as well. Bare in mind that he does use other products and not just masks alone.

The Teatree mask features are:

• To soothe and revitalize problematic skin.
• Eco-friendly and clean sprout complex made of extracts from organic birch sprout, filbert sprout and olive sprout.
• Paraben free and dermatological tested.
• Suitable for oily/combination skin types. 

The Mela-Tox mask is my favourtie out of these, just because I love whitening products! Right after using the mask I did notice that my face was brighter and whiter, I will use these again for sure. Also it's perfect for the winter as this mask is moisture rich, it helps keep my face from being dry from the cold harsh British weather that we will be facing soon.

Mela-Tox mask features:

• Brighten stressed skin from outdoor environment.
• Give moisture and glow to dull skin.
• Natural moisture particles soothes dead skin providing healthy skin.
• Rich moisture elasticity for perfect fit and moisture. 

Lastly, the Wrinkle Filler mask. To be honest I don't have any wrinkles at all to fill. I guess it doesn't hurt to fill in any micro wrinkle lines that I MIGHT BE DEVELOPING?? I can't say I saw any visible difference after using it, nor did it feel different to any other standard face mask... a better review for this would come from a more older blogger... or maybe I'll get my mum to try it and I'll get back to you guys. Although I highly doubt that my readers that follow me are at the age of wrinkling... aha

Wrinkle filler features:

• Intensive wrinkle care mask giving firming effect.
• Penetrates deep into the skin improving wrinkles for firmer skin.
• Rich moisture and elasticity for perfect fit and moisture. 

 All of these masks are to be worn for a duration of 15-20 minutes. After removal, gently tap your skin to help the remaining essence absorb into your skin. Wipe away any excess you don't want on your face with a cotton pad if you wish.

If you wish to purchase these masks, I got mine from Fafa Beauty! Use my code "ruixrai5off" for a 5% discount!

 Click the banner above to go to the website.

Review: Milatte Fashiony 3 Step Clear Nose Pack. Plus discount code for my readers!

I decided to test this product out as I wanted to take an extra step in caring for my nose area, since the only thing I currently do to my nose is use pore strips to remove any blackheads and dirt!

I have an oily T-zone, so I was hoping that this would maybe help reduce the amount of sebum produced?!?! willing to try anything to help my skin.

So as you can see from the name and packaging, it is a 3 step process. Quite a long process actually, it should take a maximum of 45 minutes for the whole process! I will go through it step by step with you as the instructions on the packaging are in Korean!

Step 1

Wash your face with a face wash, make sure the skin is clean from any oils/makeup.
Open the 1st packet (carefully, I almost tore the nose strip inside!!) and apply it to your nose like so:

Just had a shower so my hair is in my turbie towel hahaha

 On application I felt a slightly tingly sensation going on my nose.

After 15-20 minutes has past, take the strip off and gently wipe off any sebum/blackheads with a cotton pad or swab.

Step 2

Open 2nd packet. You will find a pore strip in here. The only difference I found with this strip and other brands is that the glossy side that goes onto your nose was sticky already once I peeled it off the clear film.

 
Wet your nose with water (I use warm/hot water to open my pores up).

Apply the pore strip onto your nose and allow to dry, it should take around 10-15 minutes. You'll know its dry when the strip becomes hard and firm. Once it is dry, peel it off, do not peel it off slowly as this will make it less effective, you need to "rip it off" just like how you would with a wax strip. I personally do it with two swift rips, one on each side of the nose towards the middle.

You should see all the nasties that the pore strip has pulled out of your pores! I don't know why but I get so satisfied seeing all the dirt on the strip. 

Step 3

 Final step! Open the 3rd packet. Remove the white film and top layer off, you should be left with a gel like nose strip. Apply this gel strip onto your nose and wait 10 minutes.

After 10 minutes has passed, remove the strip and pat the remaining essence on your nose.

AND YOU'RE DONE. Finally.

Verdict

I would save this for a pamper day, as the process is pretty time consuming! One thing I did notice though after using this, is that it made my nose much whiter! So I think this has a whitening effect as well which I loveeeee.

I would probably use this 1-2 times a month? and use just normal pore strips in between as they are less time consuming. I usually use pore strips every week to help keep my pores clean!!

Clean pores also makes makeup application nicer as you wont get any dry patches on your nose from foundation (for me personally anyway) and obviously after makeup application, your pores get blocked up from everything that you've put on your face so it is important to keep your skin clear!

Where to buy

NOW, where did I get this product? Fafa Beauty! They are a UK based e-store selling Asian beauty products and skincare.

If you use my discount code "ruixrai5off" you will receive a 5% discount on your order!

As they are UK based, you won't be waiting around for 2-6 weeks for the products to arrive.

Click the banner below:

Makeup Brush Collection

I've decided to share with you all the makeup brushes I currently own and use!

All of these brushes I purchased about 4-5 years ago and they have stuck with me ever since, they have lasted me for so long with no problems as I take good care of them. As you can see, the majority of my brushes are from E.L.F,

These brushes are so durable, soft and good value for money, very affordable! I recommend their Studio brushes (which are the black handle ones).

From left: e.l.f Studio Blush Brush. e.l.f Professional Bronzing Brush. Body BC Collection Foundation Brush.

I use the e.l.f Studio Blush Brush and the BC Body Collection foundation brush all the time. I don't really use the e.l.f Professional Bronzing Brush as I prefer to use the stipple brush when I wear bronzer, which is not often at all. It could be used to apply blusher but I prefer the studio blush brush.

From Left: e.l.f Studio Angled Eyeliner Brush x2. Ms. Makeup Angled Eyeliner Brush. Maybelline Gel Liner Brush. Makeover Essentials Eyeliner Brush.

Out of all of my eyeliner brushes, I only use the e.l.f Angled Eyeliner Brushes as these give me a thin and precise line. I honestly never went back to the other brushes after I tried the e.l.f one, and because it is angled at the head, application and drawing is easier than the average straight brush.

From Left: e.l.f Studio Eyeshadow "C" Brush. e.l.f Studio Contour Brush. e.l.f Professional Blending Eye Brush. Makeover Essentials Eyeshadow Brush.

I use the contour and blending brush the most out of these eyeshadow brushes. But the brush I use the most would have to be the one that comes in the Naked 2 palette as I use that palette the most.

e.l.f Studio Stipple Brush

I have two of these brushes, I don't remember why I purchased two. Probably because it is so cheap and worth the money my greed kicked in ahahaha. I use my stipple brushes to apply my foundation as I prefer a light coverage. Also use them to apply bronzer when I decide to wear it. So in the end the two brushes came in handy, one for each role!

e.l.f Studio Powder Brush and e.l.f Studio Complexion Brush

Again I have two of the exact same powder brushes, I use this to apply HD powder as I find the flat head of the brush is perfect for buffing and helps to achieve a flawless look. I actually have another unopened e.l.f Studio Complexion Brush that isn't pictured here! I use this brush when I feel like dusting HD powder over my face instead of buffing it in, or when I apply the e.l.f Complexion Perfection which is a pressed complexion powder in a compact.

The highlight of these brushes would be the e.l.f Studio Brushes. If you're on a budget or not willing to splash out on MAC brushes or an alternative, then I'd highly recommend you go get these as they are so affordable and I love them. I'm going to update my brush collection with more e.l.f brushes as I need a concealer brush and I want an angled foundation brush too!

Also if anyone is curious, I use Johnson's baby shampoo to wash my brushes with, as it is cheap and mild and will last you for a while too. I aim to wash my brushes every week or two! You should keep your brushes clean to prevent bacterial build up on the brushes which will transfer to your face, this will keep spots and acne growth at a low if anything.