Gold Leaf Toe Nails!

No, not really gold leaf but the next best thing.

Here in the Middle East everything glitters with glamour, so gold toe nails were just part of my everyday outfit!

 A dry pedicure that's super long lasting, which stayed on for three weeks.


Minx nail transfers.

The plastic strip is cut to size and pasted onto the fingernail or toe nail and then heated to bond with an electric lamp.

There are many types of patterns in the Minx collection, including leopard print and zebra stripes.

Maybe for my next Safari holiday!

Aqua Drop Face Mask

As you know, I love writing about my latest beauty finds.

Aqua Drop Sleep Mask from The Face Shop is a super hydrating mask that works while you sleep.

What better way to enhance beauty Zzzzz's!  

Just apply a small amount to clean skin, massage in and leave to work overnight.

Not just for dry skins either, as most complexions need that extra moisture boost from time to time.

Your skin will feel soft, supple and re hydrated by morning.

                       

Convenient Compact Beauty

As a natural beauty addict, I'm always on the lookout for new products which not only work well but also make life a little easier.

'Beautification' can be quite time consuming and if you're a busy mum with very little 'me' time, then this product is a quick fix to gorgeous skin.

As you may know by now. I am a huge fan of loose mineral powders but I agree that they can sometimes be quite messy and not always easy to travel with.

I am just about to go on my hols and decided to pursue my hunt for a non clogging, non chalky compact that covers well but without looking heavy or caked on.

I found the perfect powder make up compact in my local supermarket!

Maybelline Clear Smooth All in One powder foundation with an added bonus of SPF 25.

I love the tones of the shades and found that Honey was the perfect shade for a medium toned skin.

For an even better finish, apply it over your favourite beauty base or balm.

Before & After Make Up

We all love a good before and after pic.

Especially of women who have been completely transformed with make up.

We look at models in magazines and see stunning beauty, all the while wondering just what really lies beneath!

Well, here's a treat for you all from a lovely young model I worked with recently on a shoot.

 Andrea shared with me, her before make up face and the after make up shot.

Yes, she's naturally young and beautiful but still, here's what make up can do.

Wrinkly Old Prunes!

Well, Its been while since my last post, what with Christmas and New Year holidays etc.
Hope your Christmas gifts were filled with beauty products galore.

Women and beauty just go so well together!

Anyway, I'm back with more helpful hints and tips plus the odd quote...of which I found this delightful one in relation to cosmetic surgery from my latest monthly magazine.

'Someone once said, if you tighten a prune, you don't get a grape. You just get a tight prune.'

How true as we see many a tight prune in the beauty mags!

Compact Mineral Powder Versus Loose Minerals

Having used Loose Mineral powder make up for the last few years, I was interested in the new compact mineral powders that I have seen recently advertised.

I love the coverage and finish of the loose mineral powder but thought the ease and practicality of the compact version was worth exploring.

After trying a couple of top brand compacts, I found that neither gave as good coverage as the loose powders and one was a little bit chalky in texture.

It's recommended that you use with a powder brush (same as with the loose) but, personally, the effect was just dusting the skin slightly with colour.

You need an excellent complexion to begin with!

Therefore my advice is to stick with the loose mineral powders for better coverage and only opt for compact mineral powders to apply over foundation for a smoother glow to the skin.

My fave loose mineral powders are L'Oreal, Bare Minerals, Clinique and Elizabeth Arden.

Vaseline for Nails

Lately I seem to keep finding 'good old staples'

Products that we used to use years ago and tend to forget about as there's always something new on the market.

With the weather getting a bit colder here in Dubai!
My cuticles get very dry, so I have been massaging a well known nail oil into them each night for the past week.

A little bit of difference but not much as I thought the oil felt too thin in texture to work.

Then I remembered a girl that I worked with years ago in a beauty salon.
She told me to use Vaseline on my nails.

Last night I massaged Vaseline around my nails and there is a huge difference in the texture of the skin this morning.

It also reminds me of when I lived in Africa 24 years ago, where most women used to use Vaseline on their faces every evening and what beautiful skins they had.
It's an oldie but a goody!