Conversations through the middle

Beauty – sweet toppings for your nails

October 23, 2012

These look fantastic and I can’t wait to try them. After wraps, foils and water decals, we now have 3D effects for your nails. There are lots of them on beauty shelves but these ones come from LCN and are available in nine colours including rose, turquoise and black.

All you do is sprinkle the nail candy over wet nail varnish, one finger at a time, then leave to dry for around 15 minutes. Apply the product over a bowl to catch the bits that will go everywhere, then when you’re done, simply pour the extra candy back into the bottle (tip: you can use the lid as a funnel).

Experiment with whole nails, coating just the tips or even nail stencils to create unique nail art. Depending on what you’re doing the effect won’t last longer than a day I guess, but for a party or night out it would be ideal, and at under £6 per pot these colourful beads won’t break the bank. Just don’t eat with your fingers.

I have the multi glitter version and I’ll be trying it at the weekend, so keep your eyes on this space for an update in a few days!

Giveaway – lovely Lavera skin care

October 22, 2012

This week our fab 40s Chic giveaway is courtesy of those lovely people at Lavera. If you don’t know this brand then you’ve really been missing out – where have you been since 1987?

Lavera is a natural cosmetics, hair care and skin care company with a wealth of plant-based and organic products that are suitable for even sensitive skin. They are free from preservatives, synthetic perfumes and synthetic colours.

I have used Lavera skin care and make-up many times over the past few years and I can honestly say it is one of my favourite brands; I wrote about their sunscreens here or you can find out more by visiting their website at www.pravera.co.uk.

The word Lavera by the way is Latin for truth, which is what the company strives for in its products and philosophy.

We have a Lavera Faces My Age Anti-Wrinkle Organic Face Care Gift Bag (worth £49.50) to give away to one lucky 40s Chic reader. The reusable organza bag contains a 50ml organic gentle foaming cleanser, 30ml organic restoring day cream and 15ml organic intensive eye cream. All contain plant extracts and essential oils, and fair trade and organic ingredients.

To be in with a chance of winning simply leave a comment below. If you would like to follow 40s Chic that would be even better, but it’s not compulsory. The closing date for this giveaway is 22 November.

(Rules: this giveaway is open to UK residents only – sorry. Entrants must be over 18 years old; one entry per person; deadline for entries is 22 November. Any problems or questions please get in touch.)

The Prize Finder

Fashion – wonderful wellies

October 19, 2012

Take a look at these. Not only are they practical (of course, wellies have to be), not only are they a lovely colour, but take a closer look, yes they are lined! Not just lined with any old material mind you, they are lined with merino wool. Here’s a close up:

How toasty do they look? They would be the height of sophistication at the yard and I love them. Unfortunately, at £160 per pair, they won’t be walking through the mud with me anytime soon. Even if I could afford them I’d probably be too scared to get them dirty in case I spoil them. So that’s one for the wish list then.

They also come in a beautiful winter cream (Caramel), bluish grey (French Grey), and more traditional green and black.

Beauty – cooling eye gels

October 19, 2012

Today I’m feeling a little rubbish – a mixture of the cold germs that are flying around everywhere at the moment and one to many glasses of wine last night – on a school night, too!

A good, long walk with the dog in the countryside, in the pouring rain, helped blow away the cobwebs and these little lovelies – Hydro Cool Firming Eye Gels by Skyn Iceland – finished off the job.

I have used these once before – you simply apply the pads underneath your eyes; the gel feels cold and ‘sticks’ them in place (thought they’re not sticky in a sticky sort of way), then relax for 10 minutes. After using them I found the skin under my eyes looked tighter, the bags weren’t so prominent – and the effect lasted a few days. Be careful not to apply them too close to your eyes though – I did that and felt like they were dragging down the skin; no idea if they did or not but it felt very weird.

It’s the coldness of the gel pads I like; they’re an alternative to the rollerball eye treatments out there, such as those from L’Oreal or FAB (my personal favourite), with their cold metal applicators. Unlike those treatments, which I tend to use most days, the eye gels are a once a week treat (if you have lots of them) or, as in my case, a beauty pick-me-up whenever you need a boost.