gel nails Archives - Conversations through the middle

The new Liz Earle Signature lip colours are something to write home about. As you know if you read 40s Chic regularly, I love cosmetics containing natural ingredients, especially those that offer some kind of benefit besides looking lovely – anti ageing properties, skin firming ingredients, that sort of thing. These do that.

They’re part of the new colour collection and launch this autumn. I have two of them in my hot little hands – raspberry and sweet pea, both of which are variations on a pink theme, so should suit almost everybody.

For daytime wear I would say they’re spot on – the colours are subtle, nothing outrageous here, and the consistency is light. Importantly for me, they don’t taste of anything; so many lip glosses and lipsticks taste of fruit, mint or even a sweet artificial something that make me go meh to put it mildly.

The consistency is smooth, not sticky, the effect they give is not too sheer but has a slightly wet look, and my lips feel soft, even to the touch, when wearing this. The colour stays put too and passed the highly sophisticated glass test I subjected it to.

There are 19 shades in the range, all contain shea butter, avocado and vitamin E, which could explain why they feel so soft. uk.lizearle.com

Raspberry

Sweet Pea

And a swatch from me – the shades are very close to each other
and hopefully you can see the slightly wet-look finish

I don’t know about you but I hate the fact that as I get older the lines under my eyes seem to reproduce, sprouting little lines themselves. And first thing in the morning the bags under my eyes wear luggage labels! (Probably says something about the state of my liver, perhaps I need a good detox).

Anyway, for the last week or so I’ve been trialling the Detox Eye Roller by FAB and I have to say I like it. One of the things I like most about it is the metal ball that feels sooo cold against your skin as you apply the product. Now I know that’s not what the product is all about, but first thing in the morning when your eyes are still tired, or later in the day after a stint at the computer, that metal ball is a godsend; it wakes up your peepers immediately and the effect lasts for several minutes.

The eye roller is a serum that contains bio marine extracts to help tighten and smooth your skin, as well as everyone’s favourite ingredient, hyaluronic acid, which locks in moisture, creating a plumping effect. There’s also glycerin to soften and hydrate, skin firming polymers and peptides to boost collagen production.

According to Fab: “Using the roller ball not only stimulates the skin, it also allows a no touch application to maximise the efficacy of the polymers. Mobilising lymphatic fluid that can pool in the neck and central face is an ideal way to optimise skin turgor and snap, giving skin a younger, more refreshed appearance.”

I certainly find it refreshing and have it at hand on my desk all day so I can reapply whenever I feel like it.

If you’re unfamiliar with the brand FAB stands for First Aid Beauty and was launched in the USA a couple of years ago. You can get it at Boots or from Feel Unique.

I have been wanting to try Bourjois 1 Second Gel nail enamel for a while and eventually tracked it down in Superdrug a couple of weeks ago. I bought two shades (there are 19 of them), one is Taupe Classy (or as Dot calls it, poo colour, though I’m sure that’s not a beauty term), the other is Figue Chic, a mid purple.

The idea is these enamels give a gel finish without all the faff of a gel manicure, and they’re easy to remove with normal nail polish remover, rather than having to book a session with a manicurist or go through the cover-your-fingers-in-acetone-soaked-cotton-wool-then-wrap-them-in-foil- and-sit-for-ages removal ritual. According the the website you also just need one coat and that is dry within a minute (the one second of the name refers to how long it takes to paint each nail).

I have a couple of problems with this: one coat looks great – mostly. With the dark taupe shade coverage is good but you need a second coat otherwise when you hold your fingers up to the light you can see through it on your nail tips. This may not be such a problem with a lighter shade. Also, for me at least, it takes more than a minute for the enamel to dry – perhaps it has something to do with the heat of your skin? I don’t know but what I do know is I managed to smudge it more than 10 minutes after applying it.

On the plus side, I love the extra wide brush, which covers your nails in the shortest time; it makes such a change from those polishes that have mean, skinny little brushes. I also love the finish – it is indeed gel-like, feels so smooth and I can’t stop touching it.

Obviously it doesn’t last as long as a gel manicure, but it’s an easy way to create that gel look at home.

I have tried it without a top coat and achieved a shiny effect, but in this image I have applied a top layer of Revlon Quick Dry Top Coat for ultra shiny. www.bourjois.co.uk

New gel polish brand Belle Gel has launched a kit designed to give you salon perfect nails at home. This handy product contains everything needed to create beautiful, high-shine nails in 12 on-trend colours.

I was at the launch of Belle Gel so heard about the kit first hand from company founder Susan Tompkins and I was impressed by her obvious dedication to her product. It was six years in development and has just gone on sale via the Belle Gel website.

While application obviously takes longer than when using a regular nail varnish, it is not complicated and the results can last up to two weeks. The kit comes with a UV lamp for curing or drying the nail colour, as well as cleanser for preparing your nails, primer, gel remover, brush, cuticle pen and nail file. There’s also one colour included – deep red – to start you off and I bet you won’t be able to resist buying others. I particularly like the Midnight Blue and Mocha shades, and the Burnt Orange would look great on holiday with a tan.

I can’t wait to create a gel manicure at home and I’ll report back on how it goes. In the meantime though you can find out more here.

Boots 17 is gearing up for the festive party season with the launch of Dazzle The Night, a limited edition collection full of shimmer and sparkle.

I love the Shimmer Rocks – frosty pink and pearl nuggets that you apply as blusher or simply swirl over your face for an ethereal glow. There’s also Wishing Star and Glimmer in the Night – they sound like they should be rock songs, but they’re actually nail colours that are full of party sparkle. The collection is on sale from the end of November.

Also from 17, the Smokey Eye Palette is spot on for creating that dramatic come hither look that has been around a while, but shows no sign of disappearing and is perfect for parties.

The new Colour Radiance collection from Dove promises to help keep dyed hair looking good for longer. As someone who has to colour her hair (thanks to genes from dad’s side of the family – he was grey by the time he was 23), I’m really pleased to see an affordable range of products to use at home.

I have to colour my hair every six weeks or so and it is difficult to keep it looking shiny after the first few days, so anything that helps keep that glossy, happy feeling has to be good. I haven’t tried the products, but there are four in the range – shampoo, conditioner, intensive conditioner and leave-in conditioning and care spray. They all contain something the company calls colour revitaliser technology and it’s claimed, keep colour vibrant for up to 10 weeks. Colour Radiance is in store now.

Help support good causes with The Body Shop’s Dragon Fruit Lip Butter. Every purchase of the product will see a donation to one of three charities: Kidscape, BUAV, or People & Planet. The great thing is though, you get to choose where your money goes as there will be a voting box in each store, so you can follow your conscience as well as pampering your lips.

All of the profits from the lip butters will go to charity, through The Body Shop Foundation, which was set up in 1989 and has so far donated more than £19 million to around 2,500 organisations.

Lisa Jackson, the foundation’s CEO, says the product “is a great way to extend the reach of our global funding by reaching people directly”. She adds: “Through The Body Shop Foundation lip butter we can reach more grassroots charities with more money.”

Sounds good to me. They’re on sale from August.www.thebodyshop.com

Beauty reviews – lips, eyes and nails

Beauty round-up – nails, face and hair