NOTW - Nails inc George Street and St Martin Place

For a while now I've been becoming less in love with Nails inc. They seem to have stopped caring as much about standard plain colours and have become obsessed with textures and effects. And I haven't exactly loved them. Feather, leather and beaded effects did nothing for me.

However, recently their effects have won me over again. Today I'm going to be talking about one of the Modern Art range as well as a lovely nude colour it goes really well with. I'd also like to mention the amazing Fibre Optic and Galaxy ranges that I will definitely be reviewing soon.

So let's get to some pictures and descriptions.

George Street is a lovely nude pink colour with no shimmer or glitter. I'm not a fan of the beige or coffee coloured nudes but this colour is beautiful and incredibly flattering. It covers well and doesn't chip easily.
St Martin Place is a Modern Art polish, its filled with large matte glitter pieces in rose, gold and black tones. I recommend layering it over the top of George Street.

This is how it looks on the nails.

Unfortunately, I find it chips very quickly but the coverage is good, and with it being a glitter you can patch it in fairly unnoticeably.

Has anyone tried any of the other Modern Art shades?

XoXo  Rouge

My favourite products to help me unwind.

I am a stress-head. Fact. I worry continuously, and if you ask anyone who knows me they'd tell you how tightly wound and highly strung I am. Being able to relax is not a skill that comes easily to me. There are few things that leave me feeling genuinely chilled. However, there are some products that I am loving right now when I want to try and unwind from a stressful day.

The first of which is Elemis quiet mind relaxing bath elixir. The smell is sensational without being overpowering. It leaves my skin feeling soft rather than dry like some bath products can. And similarly, does not leave the bath oily like some products do. Which is just as well, since I don't find falling and nearly breaking my neck (or in my case breaking my ribs - true story) a particularly calming experience at bath time.

The next step in my unwinding process is the Aromatherapy Associates Revive body gel. This is a new addition to my collection courtesy of Birchbox, and I love it. When I first read the name of the product I was expecting it to be a little heavy or greasy, and I couldn't have been more wrong. The gel is a lovely light, cooling texture that soothes the skin and the mind alike. It sinks into the skin in record time- allowing me to crawl straight into bed without worrying about sticking to the sheets.

And, after immediately tucking myself up into bed I treat myself to This Works deep sleep pillow spray. I received a sample of this in a goody bag from Space NK recently, and I am definitely going to be purchasing the full size of this. It is pitched as being "infused with essential oils of Lavender, Vetivert and Wild Camomile to soothe the body and mind" and boy, does it deliver on its promise.

The most important thing about all these products for me is that the smells aren't too strong. Personally, I find a lot of products that are meant to be relaxing are often smell to powerful which just irritates rather than calms.

What are everybody else's favourite products to help them relax?

XoXo Rouge

Aveeno Cream

I unfortunately have very severe hay fever and over the last couple of years this has started to effect my skin. Initially this was just contact dermatitis on the backs of my hands, but this summer it got a lot worse. I had dermatitis on my hands and face, and incredibly itchy skin that has become very reactive and sensitive of late. My skin has never been particularly sensitive before and so there are likely to be more posts to follow on my quest to find products that work on my simultaneously sensitive and oily skin.

So my first review on this topic definitely deserves to be Aveeno Cream and Aveeno products in general. Aveeno has been a life saver!!! The cream is cooling and soothing and not too heavy, slightly gel-like in texture and it seriously works. The dermatitis on my hands cleared within days despite every other product, prescribed or over the counter, failing miserably to have any effect at all.

I also have the Aveeno lotion, body wash, and bath and shower oil. All of which work wonders to soothe my itchy skin. I will follow soon with a review of the body wash as this is for sure another hero product for irritated skin. The Aveeno cream is £6.99 from Boots for 100ml or £13.39 for 300ml.

Just as a quick note - when I couldn't get hold of any of the bath oil, the pharmacist explained to me that the oil works because of the colloidal oatmeal used in the ingredients. She explained that an interim alternative is to fill a thin sock with porridge oats and run your bath water through the sock which will create a similar effect. I haven't actually tried this yet but I'm interested to know if anyone else has heard/tried this before?

XoXo Rouge.

NOTD - Leighton Denny Golden Girl Swatches

Today's NOTD is Golden Girl by Leighton Denny. I chose this one to go with a red one-shouldered dress and gold belt I wore to dinner Friday night.

It's got quite an Antique gold look to it, with a lot of yellow and bronze to it. The shimmer in it gives it almost a gold leaf effect. It applies nicely and dries relatively quickly.



It's not my favourite gold, but I don't know why really. There's just something about it that doesn't inspire me very much. That aside, it is a good quality nail polish and the formula works nicely.

XoXo Rouge. 

Hair treatment review- James Brown Photo Fabulous Intense Treatment

I have recently started having highlights put through my hair. It's very long and very fine and needs washing everyday. Normally my hair is super soft and shiny. Too much so some of the time (it was very traumatic as a 9 year old when scrunchies were in fashion and they refused to stay in my very soft hair). It takes abuse well, regular heat styling and dying leaves no noticable damage to my locks. I'm lucky like that. And as a result my hair has been my pride. The one element of my appearance that I am consistantly happy with. Free from the insecurities that plague the rest of my appearence as with most women.
That was until the highlights.
The highlights, though lovely in their caramel - honey goodness, have damaged my hair. It's dry on the ends and is a nightmare to brush through. The healthy gloss that was once resident on my hair no longer bothers to grace me with its presence. And I am feeling very sulky about it. (I am an only child- I sulk- alot).
So I am now on the hunt for the perfect deep conditioner to revive my locks to their former glory.

Attempt One is a James Brown treatment that promises glossy and moisturised hair. You put it on from root to tip after washing your hair, leave for at least 30seconds then rinse thoroughly.

I hate to say it... but I wasn't all that impressed with this one. The texture didn't feel particularly silky when applying and I doubted then whether it would work all that well. My doubts were justified. My hair was just as dry on the ends, no more shiny and no healthier looking. In fairness, it did rinse out easily but its smell lingered on my hair, and (this could just be me with my fussy sense of smell) it was rather sickly after a while and a little too strong.

This is not a product I would buy again and my search for a lovely hair masque continues. Anyone got any recommendations for me to try?

XoXo Rouge

NOTD - Essie - Jamaica Me Crazy swatches

Today's NOTD is Essie's Jamaica Me Crazy, a lovely pink shot with a subtle shimmer. This is the first Essie nail polish I have bought and whilst I love the colour, I'm not overly crazy about the brush. It doesn't apply as easily as some polishes but the overall effect after a couple of coats is lovely none-the-less.

XoXo Rouge

Rituals Foaming Shower Gel in Yogi Flow Review

This is a gorgeous foaming shower gel that I recieved in Glossybox's December Beauty Box. It smells amazing (Indian rose and Sweet Almond Oil) and feels so soft on the skin. I cannot rate this enough and I'll certainly be replacing it when it runs out for the bargain price of £6.50 for 200ml.

Has anybody tried this in the other scents? If so let me know how you rate them.

XoXo Rouge