Thursday 31 March 2011

Love & Toast

I first saw Love & Toast products in Space NK last summer, they were on the counter, and whilst I was paying for something I had a play with the testers, I remember thinking how much I loved the smell of one of the hand creams and that next time I needed one I would go back and get that one.....but it went completely out of my head and needless to say I never went back to get it!

At the beginning of this month it was my birthday, and whilst having cupcakes with the girls one of my gorgeous friends gave me a little pink package!  It was the Love & Toast sugar grapefruit hand cream I had loved so much last summer! I was actually quite excited about this product (I know, I know, simple things) and the best bit was that she had no idea I wanted it, she chose it because it was pink....I guess that sums up the perfect gift for me!

Love & Toast have a whole range of gorgeous products, all of which are made from natural, organic ingredients and best of all the are Paraben free and contain no mineral oils, Sulfates or artificial colourings. They also never test on animals.  Even the cute packaging is recyclable.


This is the Sugar Grapefruit Hand cream, it smells so fresh and clean and instantly leaves the skin hydrated.  The key ingredients that make this cream so great are Shea butter, Avocado & Sunflower oil, Macadamia Nut and Olive Fruits. Despite having rich ingredients this is a really light weight cream which makes it a perfect  hand bag product!

Sugar grapefruit is just one of six fragrances so I'm sure you will find one you love!  Let me know what you think or if you have tried any of the other products from the Love & Toast range that you think I should try!

Stay gorgeous

Grace x

Wednesday 30 March 2011

Texas baby!

Calling all urban cowgirls and city slickers..... this is who OPI had in mind when launching their latest range of nail varnishes, The Texas Collection!

This collection consists of 12 juicy colours that are perfect for staying on trend this spring time!
OPI describes them as
Big Hair....Big Nails and Guy Meets Gal-veston - the sunniest peaches and corals
Y'all Come Back You Hear? and Too Hot Pink To Hold 'Em - Vivid orange and honeysuckle
Do You Think I'm Tex-y? and Houston We Have a Purple - beautiful berries
San Tan-Tonio and Suzi Loves Cowboys - rich neutrals
Austin-tatious Turquoise, I Vant to Be A-lone Star, Dont Mess With OPI and Its Totally Fort Worth It - bodacious blue, green and lavenders.

All the colours are super shiney and a few of them have a "sorbet like" finish which gives a slightly sheer look to the varnish once on the nails.























Out of the whole collection these are my two favourites, Austin-tatious Turquoise and Guy Meets Gal-veston!

So for all you stylistas out there who are loving the colour pop trend, make sure you are using your nails as the perfect acessory!

So to sum up the Texas Collection gets a Yee-Ha from me!

See Y'all soon!

Stay gorgeous

Grace x

Friday 18 March 2011

Pink Leopard Print!

I never used to be able to paint my nails for a couple of reasons! One, it's slightly impractical for work and two, i would become obsessed with them! I would literally look at them all the time, i would even brush my teeth holding the tooth brush so i could see my nails in the mirror! But now that I seem to have grown out of that phase and can handle the excitement, I have gone completely the other way, i don't like not having my nails painted and the brighter the better!

My nails are currently Pink Leopard Print!



To get this look i used OPI's Guy meets Gal-veston, a bright pink varnish from their most recent range 'Texas'. Once i had applied two coats of the varnish and gave it time to dry i used the Konad stamping kit with plate M57 with black varnish to apply the leopard print design, so simple but looks really effective, so much so i feel a YouTube tutorial coming on!

You can use any base colour to achieve this look, and it looks great on long or short nails!

Hope you give it a go!

Stay gorgeous

Grace x

Thursday 17 March 2011

PRODUCT REVIEW - Nina L'Elixir

This is such a beautiful perfume I had to do a little review and tell you how gorgeous it is!

Nina L'Elixir is the latest perfume to be launched from the Nina range and is just, if not more magical than the others.  They are calling it "A love potion for the modern woman", with the harmonious blend of scents it has a very warm, suductive, feminine feel to it.

Top Notes - Caipirinha Lime and Calabrian Lemon give a fresh twist
Middle Notes - Jasmine and Red Fruits give a sweet, fruity fragrance
Base Notes - Ceadarwood, Cotton Musk and Warm Amber give warmth and a slight oriental aroma

Theres something about this perfume that is slightly whimsical and fairytale like, you can't help but feel pretty whilst wearing it!

Another great thing is the bottle, a beautiful jewel like apple shaped bottle, with graduating colour from clear to deep decadent red, it has a silver leaf detailed spray and stopper and will look divine on your dressing table!
It comes in 30ml and 50ml and is available from most department stores.

Although it hasnt worked for me as a love potion (yet!) I absolutely love it and think every girl should go and try it out, you never know, one spray and your prince charming could appear!

I hope you love it as much as I do.

Stay gorgeous

Grace x

Wednesday 16 March 2011

An Orange a day....

In the quest for perfection that many of us seem to be obsessed with it seems all too easy to grab a product from the bathroom cabinet that promises a flawless complexion, gorgeous glossy locks or super strong talons!
Perfection in a bottle, what a great concept! There's just one small problem.... Its not enough!
By picking up the products, they may help you get closer to the look you are trying to achieve but the majority of those results will only be on the surface, Why are we not helping our bodies achieve these things naturally?

Now I'm the last person in the world that's going to tell you to ditch your beautiful products, but i am going to give you knowledge on the tools you need to help achieve a naturally beautiful you!  Quite simply I'm on a quest for natural beauty and i want to take you with me!

The magic tools are really simple......VITAMINS!
There is a group of vitamins that are essential for healthy skin, hair and nails.  Again its very easy to grab a pot of multi vits and a tube of berocca from the chemist and there is nothing wrong with that, but the best way to get the most out of these little beauties is to get them from our diets!

VITAMIN A
This is an essential for production of elasticity in the skin (think of those jowly jawlines we don't want!), it also help the skin to retain moisture which equals a smoother looking complexion.  Its great for the hair too as it helps produce a healthy amount of sebum to the scalp leaving the hair looking glossy and healthy.
Great sources of Vitamin A are Milk, Cheese, Eggs, Broccoli, Spinach, Carrots, Peaches and Apricots.

VITAMIN B
This is an all round amazing vitamin, its great for your hair, skin, nails and mood!
It helps in the production of melanin which gives colour to your luscious locks, the melanin production helps in the fight against greys. It promotes blood circulation to the scalp which helps reduce hair loss. with an increase of blood circulation this helps promote growth of the hair and nails, it also give the nails strength and helps to stop any ridges forming.
The best bit about vitamin B is that it helps to level out some of your hormones equaling a a happier, healthier you all round!
Great sources of Vitamin B are Eggs, Fish, Chicken and most veggies.

VITAMIN C
This is a great natural skin booster! Vitamin C is a natural ascorbic acid which helps in the production of collagen (great news for holding off the aging process!!)  Vitamin C is an anti-oxidant so it fights off the free radicals that attack the collagen in the skin.  I have recently been told that a deficiency in vitamin c can lead to wrinkles, so get munching those kiwis!
Great sources of Vitamin C are Pineapple, Tomatoes, Citrus fruits, Strawberries, Kiwis, Green Peppers and Dark Leafy Vegetables!

VITAMIN E
Another great anti oxidant so a good tool in the fight against aging skin, it also helps enhance blood circulation which helps with hair growth and reducing hair loss. Great for nail strength and growth.
Great sources of Vitamin E are green leafy vegetables, seeds and nuts (especially almonds).

There are loads of Vitamins and Minerals that will benefit us, but with these four essentials covered we should all be well on our way to still looking 30 when we are 60!

So forget the saying an apple a day, i say and orange a day keeps the wrinkles away.... i will see you in the fruit isle!

Stay gorgeous

Grace x

Thursday 3 March 2011

Shatter!

I just wanted to tell about one of my favourite nail products.
Black Shatter is from OPI and is so simple to use.

With nail art making a come back this season, using this product is a great way to achieve an on trend look with out much expense or spending hours trying to get your nails looking perfect!

The idea behind Black Shatter is that as it dries on the nail it gives a crackle effect and the colour you used as your base will pop through. You can use any colour you like or even use it as part of a french manicure to get a different look!

The key to using this product is to work fairly fast with it as the varnish dries very quickly and once its on the nail it doesn't have much movement, i have put a tutorial video on my YouTube channel http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0LclWeTh0Yw if you want to see a demo.
Because its a crackle effect no two nails will look exactly the same which is great as it will never show any mistakes! I have added a few photos to show you the kind of things you could do but just have fun with it and add your own creative spin!


I hope you like this product as much as i do, its definitely an essential item for my nail kit!

Stay Gorgeous

Grace x