Nailtiques Maui Hawaiian Nails

Today's guest post is brought to you by the fabulous Liloo from Le petit jardin de liloo

Hawaiian Nails

You can get the girl out of high street but you can't get the high street out of me and if a  brand doesn't usually sell in your average Boots or Superdrug, I am not usually interested. This  is true unless a brand gets a huge amount of hype around beauty blogs. American born brand Nailtiques  is one of these brands which my beauty blogging friends have been raving about and obviously I  had to find out for myself, if the praise is worth the hype. Nailtiques is best known for their  nail treatment range, and their ground breaking protein formula, which won them, not once but 9  times the best beauty buy award by InStyle Magazine.

Today, I want to share with you my impressions on Maui, a nail polish, part of their colour  range, designed with the same award winning protein formula.

They say:

”The colors are from our line's 16 classic shades, all infused with the same protein Nailtiques  nail treatments use. Our formula offer special combinations of ingredients, including hydrolyzed  keratin and protein in combination with gelatin and calcium to build a healthy nail foundation.”

Maui is a bright corally pinky red creme which screams Summer and I love the fact that they chose  an Hawaiian Island to name it after. The application was an absolute dream and reminded me  straight away of the outstanding quality of the Leighton Denny nail polishes, which I didn't  think, until I tried Nailtiques could be rivalled. The best word to describe the delight of the  formula is creamy and I couldn't believe how easy was to apply. Not a hint of streak, drag,  bubble or anything like that in sight, the polish practically applied itself. I felt in control  of the application at all times and was able to take my time to guide the polish on my nail bed  and around the edges.

All fine and dandy, I hear you say, but what's the damage on the purse? Maui was gifted to me by a friend. I didn't know of its value  while first playing the polish but I knew right away it was high end polish, which the tight high  street girl in me wouldn't normally go for. Well I was pleasantly surprised to find out that the  Nailtiques polishes retail at £8.75 at Look Fantastic. This is more than I would usually part  with but I would happily part with this amount of money for a Leighton Denny polish as treat,  even if the Leighton Denny polishes don't have the protein formula added bonus.

Maui required 3 generous coats to cover completely the 'white' nail line, which is 1 coat that I would  usually be happy to apply but the formula is such a dream to work with that I am happy to  overlook that. Besides when you know you're actually caring and strengthening  your nails while  painting your nails, you really don't mind.


Conclusion: I am in love, I need some more Nailtiques  colours in my life but I don't know which 'city' to go for next. Cairo, Shanghai, St Tropez? If  you own some Nailtiques, let me know which shade you would recommend :)

See, I told you she was fabulous.  Now pop over to Liloo's blog at http://lilooblog.blogspot.com/ and don't forget to check out her amazing Avatar make up HERE

Maybelline Color Tattoo 24HR Cream Gel Eye Shadow

One of my first purchases whilst here in Florida was the Maybelline Color Tattoo 24HR Cream Gel Eye Shadows.  I thought that the heat and humidity here would be a good test to see the durability of these eye shadows.

I purchased Tough as Taupe and Audacious Asphalt.

These shadows remind me of the MAC Paint Pots in texture and application.  They are easy to apply with your finger for a light colour wash or with a brush for a more precise application.  They are perfect for the the more mature eyelid as they have a smoothing effect on the eyelid.

L to R Tough as Taupe and Audacious Asphalt

Tough as Taupe is a matt Taupe that has a very grey undertone.  Audacious Asphalt is a dark grey with a navy undertone, it has a tiny bit of shimmer in it and also works well as a liner.

I have tried these shadows with and without a primer and to be honest you don't actually need a primer.  I have to say that the staying power is amazing.  It has been between 86 and 89 degrees here every day and these shadows have stayed put until I remove them.  I am really impressed with these shadows and will be picking up a few more before returning home.  I paid $5.59 from Walgreens.

Boots 17 Instant Glow Body Bronzer

Todays Guest Post comes from the lovely Daniella from www.madamegourmand.com/

When Jude announced that she was looking for guest bloggers to cover while she went on holiday I jumped at the chance as I love reading her blog and have previously guest posted before.

I’m not usually a massive fan of wash off bronzers, what prompted me to purchase this was the fact my legs are so pale and with the warm weather we have been having I couldn’t stand wearing trousers but was embarrassed about the colour of my legs and needed a quick fix.

17 Instant glow body bronzer cost me £4.99 and in my opinion is a bargain!

A small amount really does go a long way; a decent sized blob was enough for each full leg.

The Bronzer doesn’t streak, didn’t run even though I was sweating and washes off easy in the bath.

Boots state that you get 24 hour wear with this product, I like to have a bath each evening and would only apply this during the day so I can’t comment on the 24 hour claim unfortunately, what I can say is it does last at least 14 hours which is the longest I wore it for.

This is a Matte bronzer which is great for me as I’m not too fond of the shimmer bronzers which are usually available as a wash off solution.

I’m sure you will agree that the before and after pictures show a subtle bronze glow rather than an orange or dark brown colour meaning it will suit paler skin tones as well as medium.

Make sure you wash your hands after application as mine were a mess!

You can purchase the bronzer as part of 3 for 2 at Boots. Boots

Make sure you visit Daniella's blog at www.madamegourmand.com/

Handmade Soap

Today's Guest Post is brought to you by Celine Blacow, handmade soap maker.  Her soaps actually look edible as you'll see from the beautiful photographs.

Why Buy Handmade Soap?


It's a good question - why should you pay €5 for a bar of soap when you can go to the nearest Lidl or Euro Store and buy 10 bars of their cheap soap for that price?


Ask yourself "How well do I value my skin?"  Did you know that your skin is the largest organ in your body? In an adult, it covers 3,000 square inches and without it, the body cannot survive. So, I bet you value your skin now that I told you that?!


So let’s look at the El Cheapo brand of soap you can buy in your local Euro Store - many of the industrial manufactured soaps are made with harsh chemicals that can strip your skin of its natural moisturisers. How often do you use a soap that smells really nice but makes your skin really rough, dry and red afterwards? Too often?


On the other hand, artisan handmade soap is designed for various skin types by the choice of oils and additives used. For example, Olive Oil is a superb oil for making soap and has been traditionally used for years in Castile soap - why? Because it is excellent for your skin; it's a natural humectant (that is, it draws moisture from environment, into your skin). Other oils such as Sweet Almond and Avocado are particularly good for dry, sensitive or mature skins and additives such as clays and a clever blend of essential oils can really help oily skins.


Every single bar of handmade soap contains natural glycerine - this is produced as a result of the chemical reactions that take place when soap is made and it is an amazing ingredient as it, again, draws moisture from the air into your skin.

Asian Pear & Lily Handmade Soap

Remember the El Cheapo brand you were thinking of buying? Well, the manufacturers of that are watching their bottom line all the time - pound for pound, glycerine costs more than soap, so they cleverly remove it from the industrially made soap and sell it on to cosmetic manufacturers making a nice big profit - after all, they've made soap and glycerine so they have two products to sell. They've sold the glycerine to companies that make lotion ... you know, the exact same lotion you have to use after using the soap because it makes your hands so dry... do you hear their ching ching as the dollar signs pop up in their eyes?! Do you begin to wonder if El Cheapo really is such a bargain after all?


As a soapmaker and lover of handmade soap, I appreciate the value that glycerine brings to my skin. All of my handmade soaps retain all their skin loving glycerine so, whilst the soap cleanses, it also helps to moisturise and condition your skin. I wouldn't know how to remove it even if I wanted... but I don't, I like it in there, it loves me, it loves my skin.

Buttered Maple Pecan Pure Silk Handmade Soap

So, you might be wondering how handmade soap is actually made ... here comes the science bit - to make soap, you need oils and/or butters, liquid and lye. What is lye? Lye is an acid that, when it comes into contact with the fats, will cause a chemical reaction called saponification - this is what turns the oils/water/lye combo into soap. Will the lye burn your skin? Absolutely not - in fact, it's not even present in the final soap - the full
chemical reaction will have changed the basic oil/water/lye combination into soap (this is why you don't see lye written as part of the ingredients because it's not there in the final product).


For handmade soaps, the oils/butters combination chosen is very interesting - a clever soap designer can create a formulation to increase a soaps conditioning power, cleansing power, hardness and bubble factor. They can adjust a recipe to suit any skin type - not only that, but they can add other ingredients that boosts the soap performance. Additives such as herbal infusions, the use of milks/creams as the liquid portion, clays etc will each add their own unique features to the soap. In this way, you are actually purchasing a designer item - designed with you in mind!


I only choose the highest quality pure skin-loving oils for use in my soaps (after all, I use them too and I love having good skin). Oils such as Olive, Coconut, Apricot Kernel, Rice Bran, Avocado and Sweet Almond are used along with rich butters such as Shea and Cocoa Butters that help to enhance the moisturizing capabilities of the soap. I do use Palm Oil but only use an organic variety that comes from a sustainable source.

I love fragrance and colour – it brings happiness to my life! I fragrance my soaps with a blend of Essential Oils and Fragrance Oils (these are synthetic aromatic oils that often contain essential oils as their basis). Some people worry about the use of "synthetic" fragrance oils but be assured that all the oils and colours we use are specifically designed for cosmetic use and are totally skin safe. I only use colours that are cosmetic safe and allowed for use in the EU … but there are a huge number of these and I love to use a blend of bright, vivid colours highlighted with white but I do some more muted soaps too, it all depends on what way the muse moves me that day.

Zest For Life Pure Silk Handmade Soap

I often choose additives such as Coconut Milk, Buttermilk, Goatsmilk, Aloe Vera and, my absolute favourite Tussah Silk to include in my soaps - these add an extra luxury element and are hugely moisturising. And, you'll have noticed that I also like to use some very natural ingredients from my own kitchen storecupboards such as various milks, oats, carrots, lavender, poppy seeds etc because they all add their own beauty to the soaps.

Once you've decided that your skin is worth it, make sure to take care of your handmade soap - keep it stored out of water on a soap dish or soap drainer and use a natural sea sponge, cotton washcloth or shower scrubby to get biggest bubbles ever from your soap - this helps foam it up even more which means you end up using less than if you just rubbed it directly on your body. Loving your soap means it'll last longer and that means value for money!


So... do you still fancy buying the El Cheapo brand of, ahem, soap or do you want to venture into the heady world of handmade, artisan products - products I like to think of as practical art, designed and handmade, produced with care and attention and a loving respect for not only the product but the customer too?

When you think about it, €5 for sheer luxury ingredients and a once off piece of useable designer art is such a bargain... maybe you should buy lots?!!

Written by Celine Blacow of www.iamhandmade.com who is a Soap Maker/Designer based in Dublin, Ireland. Please feel free to check out her blog at www.soaperstar.blogspot.com and her You Tube channel (if you are particularly interested in the making of handmade soap) at www.youtube.com/thesoaperstar.

Dr Hauschka Radiant You Regime

Today's guest post is brought to you by my lovely friend Molly from www.mollyandtheprincess.com

Dr Hauschka: Radiant You

I have been a big fan of Dr Hauschka’s natural, sustainable and cruelty-free skin-care products for many years, but it is only recently that I have completely changed my morning and evening cleansing routine to the Dr Hauschka Radiant You regime. I have been so impressed and when invited to do a guest post for Love, Lust & Fairy Dust, I knew that this was what I wanted to write about.

The Radiant You regime involves cleansing and toning using Dr Hauschka’s unique Press and Roll method, followed by moisturising - but only in the morning. The Radiant You regime encourages your skin to eliminate toxins at night, and to make its own moisture, and so a night cream is not needed. This idea took some getting used to, as I have always used a night cream. But I have not missed one at all, and I wake up with just as smooth (if not smoother) skin by following the Radiant You regime.

The first step in the routine is cleansing. This can begin with compressing your face with a muslin cloth that has been soaked in warm water and a few drops of Dr Hauschka Lemon or Lavender Bath, to open your pores and prepare your skin for Dr Hauschka’s Cleansing Cream. This is not so much a cream, as a paste, which smells deliciously almondly, and is applied to the skin using the press and roll method. 

The idea of the press and roll method is that it works with your skin, and the lymphatic system, to remove dirt, oil and make-up, without damaging the skin’s protective layer. All you do is press the product into your skin, working down the face from the centre outwards, rolling your fingers outwards and off after each press. As Dr Hauschka says, ‘stop scrubbing – your skin is not the bathroom floor’!

The second step in the regime, after washing off the cleanser (again a muslin cloth can be used here), is to mist Dr Hauschka Facial Toner on your freshly cleansed skin. This product is amazing, believe me! I would use it for its wonderful smell alone, but added to that is the fact it is so refreshing, and leaves your skin looking really healthy and bright.

The third and final step for the morning routine is moisturising. I use Dr Hauschka’s Rose Day Cream, just one of the wonderful range of moisturisers they have for different skin types.

I have been using the Radiant You regime for over a month now, and my skin has never looked better. It does take a little more time than a quick scrub with cleanser and cotton wool, but the whole experience is a real treat for the senses - like having a mini facial at home - and the effects are worth it.

Thanks very much to Jude for the opportunity to guest post on Love, Lust & Fairy Dust, I hope you are having a wonderful holiday!

All Dr Hauschka products mentioned above can be bought online from www.dr.hauschka.com

Do pop over and read Molly's beautiful blog at http://mollyandtheprincess.com/  

Beauty Blog Break

Hello lovely readers.  I just wanted to let you all know that on Friday I am going on holiday.  I am going to the happiest place on earth, otherwise known as Disneyworld Florida for 3 glorious weeks of wall to wall sunshine, family time, mouse time, me time etc etc.

During this period I have got some fabulous guest posts lined up from Molly, Liloo, Celine and Daniella  I will of course be making the occasional guest appearance on Twitter and I may even get the chance to do a few blog posts.

If the weather in the UK does not improve, don't worry I promise to bring some sunshine back with me.

If any of my followers would like me to pick up any beauty products whilst I'm in USA then please tweet me at @jadlgw or leave me a comment and I will see if I can help you out.

Take care xxx

Yardley London Advertising Campaign

Yardley London are launching their first advertising campaign for 16 years.  The campaign features 2 stunning models wearing floral dresses that reflect the fragrances in the new range.

The dresses were made by the very talented Petra STORRS  They were made from white crepe and adorned in silk flowers.

Here is a behind the scenes video showing how the dresses were made and the make up looks that were created by celebrity make up artist Karen Alder.

If you would like to attempt to recreate the make up look that Karen created for this campaign then read below on how to do this:-

Here are some tips on how to achieve this retro look with a contemporary twist….

If this is your first time creating this look on yourself, practise your winged tick with a bare face, lots of cotton buds and eye make-up remover first. It can sometimes take a few attempts at first to get the shape perfect. But soon you will have this nailed and have them on in seconds!!!!! This way you will have the tick down and not ruin your beautifully modern base your about to do.

 Skin should be sheer, fresh and dewy. Perfectly cleansed skin is key, I suggest investing in the Clarasonic brush, I love the Mia one as its small and travels well. Use your favourite cleanser and whiz away. It takes seconds, cleaning your skin 6 times more efficiently and leaves a wonderful glow. I am convinced my skin is firmer too and have significantly less break outs ( also it comes with a body brush, so perfect to use before applying my one of my favourite body lotions Yardley’s Lavender and the newcomer Daisy).

Next for some vitamin c. Try SkinCeuticals Phloretin CF, it delivers the perfect amount and is non greasy, then for a light moisturiser like Dermalogica’s Active Moist. Now our skin is perfectly prepped. Using a primer like NuBo’s voile really smoothes out your skin and leaves one having to use less foundation. Now for the make up...

Chanel’s Perfection Lumiere is my new go to base. Its long lasting, can be layered and is totally invisible, it’s matt so no to need powder! Use a foundation brush and really buff it into your skin, this really brings out the luminosity of the foundation and becomes seamless. Any areas needing a little more coverage use the perfection concealer, again long lasting and is totally invisible.

Now for a little contouring, this really lifts and sculpts your face. I used Fake Bakes bronzer, it gives a wonderful glow and very natural. Take a fan brush and shade away directly under your cheekbones shaping up and outwards, almost in the shape of a Nike tick. Then with the same brush, lightly shade the area under your jaw line just below your ears, this really enhances the jaw, I always lightly blend a little under my chin and down the centre of my neck, this really connects your face to your body! Take your foundation brush and blend, blend, blend. This too should be invisible. Now take a blend brush, I like Stila’s No 9 as it doesn’t malt and work a little of the bronzer into the socket line of your eye. This is an instant eye lift, I love it! Take Stila’s lip and cheek convertible colour in petunia and pat a little on the apple of your cheeks and blend into the sculpted bronze cheek bones. Pat a little of St Tropez skin illuminator in rose along the top of your cheekbones and up to your temples for an added glow.

Now groom brows with Suqqos eye pen, its amazing as it really gives a strength and definition to your brows yet completely natural. Concentrate on defining the upper arch of the brown and fade out to the edges, brush up and out with eyebrow gel, Becca cosmetics makes my favourite one.

Now for the tick, Take Lancomes artliner pen in black, I find this the easiest to use.  Hold a hand mirror so that you are looking down, this makes for an easier application. Add a wing to the lower lash line moving up and out, following the natural line of your jaw to ear really helps to get the angle right. Create smaller wings for a more chic cat eye, or increase for more drama. Take the line evenly along the bottom of the eye. In this look we went half way; this can be built up again for a stronger look. Then connect the tick to the upper lashes. Go half way first; you will almost make a triangle. Then again take the line as far into the inner eye line as you wish, follow the curve of the lash line and connect to the outer tick. 

Now for the lips. I patted a little of the convertible colour in petunia onto the lips and blended with a small lip brush. For more staying power, blot and repeat.

Karen Alder