Konad Nail Art

I have some special equipment that makes such a good subject for a blog post!



Video taken from: http://www.konad.co.uk

I've had this kit for nearly three years now. I went through a phase of not using it for a while but now I'm all into it again.

Basically it's an invention that makes it easy to do nail art at home. And by nail art I mean patterns and jewels etc.

You can see how to use it in the demonstration above. The kit has four components: a palette, a swiper, a stamper and special nail varnish.

It sounds a complicated method but it isn't really. You have to get the knack of it, but once you've got the knack it's quite easy.

First you begin by painting your nails in regular nail varnish as you would normally; two coats is recommended. Allow to dry.

Then apply a sweep of special nail varnish over the chosen pattern on your palette. Then swipe off the excess with the swiper tool. Do it in one clean sweep. (This is the trickiest part: It's essential to apply the right amount of pressure - if you scrape off too much or too little the next step won't work)

Next, roll the stamper over the pattern in one clean sweep.

The pattern should transfer from the palette onto the stamper! If it's not picked up, or it's smudged, or it's only partly picked up, then you've gone wrong somewhere. Admittedly, even now I have to repeat the previous steps several times before I get it right.

Then roll the stamper onto your nail. And as the French say...

voilà.

When you've finished all the nails, allow to dry for a couple of minutes then apply top coat to the nails as normal.

When using this kit, I can't emphasise how important it is that everything is clean and prompt. No fiddling or blotting or 'going over' - it has to be swift. Step 1, SWEEP, Step 2, SWIPE, Step 3 ROLL, Step 4, ROLL. Or it will dry and not work, and you'll have to do it over.

Once you've got the knack though, this kit is so cool. I get complimented all the time. It looks so professional and the kit is so affordable: only £15, including two special nail varnishes. It's also fun to do, I do mine often.

However, it is fiddley and requires A LOT of practice.

So here's the results of my recent kit usage:





You like?

Well worth the time and effort!

Much love,

Emma

x x x

Coralista...Guess who it's buy?

You may think, while reading this post,

Oh my days, this girl has an Obsession with Benefit make-up!

And you'd be absolutely right.

Because I do.

I went shopping today, again, and bought my latest Benefit product. It's called Coralista, and it's basically a blusher powder.

But it's a little more than that, of course. I said to the lady at the counter

"I don't want to commit to either a blusher or a bronzer. Each day I can switch between the two depending on my mood, so I need a product that can double up."

And so she recommended Coralista. It's a coral coloured blusher, as may be able to guess, and the lady said it can be applied over cheeks as a perk-me-up or over bronzed/tanned skin to compliment it.


Apparently, it's best to apply bronzer in a 3 shape starting at the hairline, moving across the brow line and sweeping along cheekbones.

Click here to view the product online!

Oh dear me... might I one day actually get to own the entire Benefit range?

Let me know what you think of my latest buy!

Much love,
Emma
x x x

Look what the Boyfriend bought me...

I'm such a lucky girl, I have a boyfriend that is just THAT good at buying presents...

He knows how much I rave about Benefit's Cosmetics, and he was sweet enough to spend I-don't-know-much on some of the products I tried at the

Make-up Application Demonstration

I blogged about a while back.

Do you remember the products I tried?

You rebel lite, for fair/medium skin:



That Gal Primer, which I wrote about in my last post! Now I have a full sized product instead of the tiddley little thing in Confessions:


(I still maintain the idea that it looks like a lipbalm...it does, doesn't it?)

Ollie also bought me some lovely perfume; I made some passing comment about not having a summer fragrance this year. I wanted something light, floral and summery, and that's exactly what I got!



This scent is so lovely, it's called Gina. I couldn't have chosen a better perfume myself.



It reminds me of Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue, if you've ever tried it!



And the box it came in is a little bonus. Isn't it pretty?



Finally, this particular product was a lovely surprise. Aren't the best present the ones you'd never buy for yourself, but intrigue you once you own them?


That's how I feel about this product. It's called 'Talk to the tan'. It's facial tan that washes off with cleanser. It's not something that I usually buy because I'm wary of putting tanning solutions on my face; I'm worried that they'll clog my pores and make my skin oily.

However, I wore 'Talk to the Tan' for my Birthday meal. It's so natural looking and smells really good. It didn't clog my pores. The thing about Benefit cosmetics is that none of their products are oil-based, so they're kind to skin.

I'm so spoiled, aren't I?

Thank you for the lovely presents, Ollie.

Much love,

Emma

x x x

Cosmetics On My Birthday List!

Yes that's right people, it's my 19th Birthday in no more than 60 hours!

(That's 2 and a half days, btw)

And there's a few products I'm really keen to get my hands on right now. For this post though, I'm just going to talk about one of them.





This is Clinique's Liquid Illuminator. It brightens, contures and highlights the face. In other words, it gives that

'Feeling fresh-as-a-Daisy, I just got 8 hours sleep'

effect.

At the moment I use Benefit's That Gal Primer.


That Gal is a very similar product, and, although gorgeous, isn't good value for money when used every day. I pay £20.50 for a product about the size of a lip stick(11ml), needless to say it doesn't go a long way. So I use it sparingly!

Clinique's Illuminating Lotion (30ml) costs £18, and I get OVER DOUBLE THE AMOUNT OF PRODUCT FOR THE SAME MONEY I'd otherwise spend on Benefit's That Gal (£20.50 for 11ml).

That makes Clinique's Illuminating Lotion a brilliant investment pour moi, who is planning on using this stuff every day during summer as a substitute for tinted moisturiser.

I don't have to feel guilty about smearing this

dream cream...

all over my face.

Also, Clinique's Illuminating Lotion is oil-free so it won't block pores and give my skin that bumpy texture.

Wish me a Happy Birthday!

Much love,

Emma

x x x