Barbara Daly Nail Polish - Spring/Summer 2013 Collection

Barbara Daly Summer Nail Varnish - £5.00

(L-R shades - Fondant Fancy, Cola Cube, Butterscotch and Marshmallow)

These pretty colours are perfect for summer and a total bargain at £5.00.  Too tempting to leave when shopping for groceries at Tesco eh!

I absolutely love these colours and think they are perfect for my toe nails to wear with flip flops now that the weather looks to be picking up.  Nothing will replace my gel polishes for my fingernails, but the last thing I can be bothered to do is apply it to my toe nails.  No way man!  Did it for my holiday in October and it lasted for bloody ages before I finally got ready to soak it off!

Plus I do like to change my toenail colour on a regular basis depending on my mood and what I am wearing (daytime = light colours, night time = dark colours).

So needless to say these are going to be great!  Have any of you picked these up??

Read More

Revlon Photoready BB Cream First Impression Review

Click on Photo to see closer up version!

So I recently purchased this BB Cream.  I've got to be honest, I'm more of a heavy coverage kind of girl but from time to time I do like to lighten my foundation (usually when the weather picks up).  Therefore when I was shopping in Boots the other day I picked up a tube of Revlon's Photoready BB Cream to see whether it was any good. 

It retails at £9.99 from Boots.

Now Revlon say the following about this product:-

- HYDRATES like moisturizer

- SMOOTHES like primer
- COVERS like foundation
- BLURS FLAWS like concealer
- PROTECTS with SPF 30 like sunscreen

 Here's what I say...

Pros

• Moisturising
• Good Colour Match
• Little bit goes quite far

Cons

• Makes my skin look greasy
• Feels heavy and greasy on skin
• Does nothing to smooth complexion or cover imperfections

Ok, so I wasn't expecting miracles here.  I mean, I am a heavy coverage girl because my skin isn't so amazing.  Particularly now that I am hitting the gym everyday.  Let me tell you sweat does not aid the complexion. 

However, I would expect more of a smoothing effect from this.  To me this is nothing more than a tinted moisturiser, which is why I would only wear this under my foundation. 

I would not recommend this product unfortunately, despite ordinarily being a big fan of Revlon. Sorry - this time you just didn't do it for me!

Read More

Bobbi Brown Hydrating Eye and Face Cream - Still My Favourites

Bobbi Brown Hydrating Eye Cream and Face Cream

I literally cannot seem to live without these two beauties.  And I have tried.  It just doesn't work though, nothing works for my skin as well.

I don't know about you, but I am finding that more and more things are irritating my skin, especially with the horrendous British weather at the moment.  It is so depressing living in England!  (well, when you consider the weather anyway - I love home the rest of the time).

As a result, my skin feels like it is getting drier and drier.  Foundation, cleansers, air con and the gym are causing absolute chaos with my skin.  So try as I might, I just couldn't wait any longer and had to repurchase these.

It' like the millionth time I have had these, but as they are so expensive I like to dabble with other products in case I find they are replaceable.  I have tried so many drugstore and more high end creams without success.  Especially when it comes to the eye cream.

I find that these eye creams are very moisturising without being greasy.  The texture is thicker than a normal moisturiser I find but it blends into the skin really easier and creates the perfect makeup base - I never use a primer with these.  If I use any other eye cream, I look around 10 years older!

I buy these from House of Fraser.  The eye cream was £29 and the face cream was £36.  They can be purchased here.

Pros

Moisturising
Non greasy
Great Makeup Base
Smoothing
Non-irritating
Lasts months as you only need a little

Cons

Expensive
Addictive!

Read More

Breakfast - Protein Pancakes (Recipe)

If you follow me on Instagram (@giddyprincessbeauty) you will probably have realised that I am on a fitness journey.  I have lost 9 lbs so far.  It's involved a lot of exercise and clean eating and I've enjoyed it for the most part.

This is one of my favourite weekend breakfasts - gives me the feeling of having a sweet treat without being too naughty or getting me too off plan.  It also looks yummy I think!

So here it is...

Ingredients

For Pancake:-

- Phd Nutrition - Diet Whey Vanilla Powder, 1 scoop (optional)
- One Egg
- 3 Egg Whites
- 200 ml of Unsweetened Almond Milk
- Fry Light Spray (optional)

For Topping:-

- 1/3 cup of Raspberries
- Organic Unsweetened Coconut Shavings
- 2 Tablespoons of Chobani Non-Fat Greek Yogurt
- 1 Tablespoon of Honey
- 1 Teaspoon of Chai Seeds

Instructions

1. Crack one egg into a pouring jug
2. Crack and separate 3 egg whites into pouring jug (discard of yolks).  Or if you like - get some liquid egg whites and pour in relevant equivalent amount
3. Mix ingredients until combined
4. Add protein powder (if using) and almond milk and mix until all combined
5. Warm a Frying Pan 
6. Spray a low calorie cooking spray into pan to stop it from sticking (this is optional and not necessary if you have a non-stick pan)
7. Pour liquid into the pan and let it cook for a few minutes
8. Using a spatula separate the base from the pan gently just to ease movement
9. Flip the pancake and cook until golden brown

Thereafter serve and add toppings to taste...

Nutritional info - cals 353, carbs 19g, fat 12g and protein 42g

Read More

Gelish at DIY Manicure at Home #1

Gelish Shade Plum and Done

Not so long ago I took the plunge and bought some Gelish Nail Polishes.  I was using a couple of the at home brands, but finding it didn't last as long as my beloved Shellac.

I assumed that this was unfortunately just because you do get what you pay for.

I was right.  My polishes by Red Carpet Manicure, Sensationail and Mint Shellac were becoming more and more unreliable and I was getting a lot of chipping and broken nails.  Not good.  I've used three different Gelish Polishes now and each has lasted me 2 weeks or more.  Which is great and makes life so much easier!

Sadly it is a bit more expensive - I get mine from Amazon - I pay around £20 for each polish.  I bought a top and base coat too the with my first colour polish and it came to around £52 in total.

Pros

High shine
Long lasting
Chip proof
Protects nails allowing them to grow
Great colour selection
Sturdy base coat brush allows for easy precise application
Large 15ml size bottle means you do get a lot of polish which will last you for ages
Can be cured using both LED and UV lamps

Cons

Expensive
Slim and soft brush design on colour polishes and top coat mean you need a steady hand to ensure you don't get any polish on the skin and application is neat
To get true colour I have to apply 3 coats (this may be down to my application style)
If you like to change your nail colour a lot it can be very time consuming and a bit of a faff!


I do love these polishes and will show you some of the other colours I have - I am due to redo my nails on Tuesday! I'm going to go pink this time as I'm a little board of dark nails now (which is how I felt about light nails 2 weeks ago haha!)

Read More