Graceful Glamour UK

Hiya, happy first day of June! Can you believe we are half way through the year already? No, me neither. It's scary how much quicker time goes when you get older! Today I have my second attempt at using my Bundle Monster stamping plates. As you can see I also added some rhinestones to the mix which is very exciting as I've never used them before either. I know, I know, sad huh? So to start with I Painted my nails with two coats of Essie's Sand Tropez . I'm an idiot and forgot to take pictures of the Sand Tropez before I stamped, whoopsy daisy, sorry. I really like it so I'm sure I'll be wearing it again soon. But anyways, I then added a generous layer of my usual Sally Hansen Maximum Growth Plus. I'd heard from various people on Youtube that if you add a good amount of topcoat between your colour and stamping, if you make a mistake you can just remove the stamping polish without disturbing the colour underneath. So I began to stamp, and to my j...

Evening all, and I hope you are enjoying this glorious Wednesday. The weather has been absolutely wonderful today in the UK apart from an iddy biddy little storm that only lasted about twenty minutes. So it has put me in a slightly good mood. I use the word slightly as I had a horrible start to the day with a phone call from my letting agent. He was calling to tell me that after a week of keeping me hanging on thinking I had a house and moving in on the fifteenth of June, the landlady has decided to reject my application! But for now, lets get on to the polish. For this weeks Pink Wednesday polish we have Orly's Cupcake. This is a pale creamy bubblegum pink and actually looks a bit like strawberry milkshake. It's a very girly shade and is very much at home in among all the pretty girly pinks in my collection. Formula wise it glides on like a dream, I'm finding this allot with the Orly's I've bought. Even on the first coat it went on really nicely and fa...

I was really eager to get stamping away when my new plates arrived so I waited until my little girl Gracie was in bed and got all my nail things out. I have to say that I did think I was going to get it straight away and I got very frustrated that it wasn't coming out perfect straight away until some other people told me that you just need to practice a few times. I wasn't sure whether I should post the pics as it was a massive fail, but actually it's good for other newbie stampers such as myself to see what my experience has been like. So to start off with I had a little lap tray with all the equipment I needed and covered it with some kitchen roll as I'd heard this can get quite messy. Then I picked out a stamping plate, the one I chose was BM210. Next was to decide which polish I wanted to stamp with, well that wasn't too much of a choice as I wanted to use one of my new Konad Special Polishes and I only had them in black or white, so I chose white. ...

So here is my other beauty box for May, the Glossy Box. This marks their one year anniversary so you have a couple of extras such as the mirror and balloon. I've actually lost the card that came with the box (I think my little girl has posted it somewhere) so I can't tell you what the theme is or what they say about the products. Lolita Lempicka - L'eau En Blanc & Pacific Creation Perfume I know that the perfume samples are other people's least favourite in these boxes, but I actually like to try them. These are both really pretty fragrances and I would happily buy the Pacific Creation one. The only down side to these is that they are tiny samples and only 0.8ml/0.03oz. It's nice that you get two defferent fragrances, especially as they are so small. Eldora - False Lashes These are handmade lashes with lash adhesive included. These have been doing the rounds with the beauty boxes, and I haven't used the other ones I received yet. I struggle to app...

Hi all, and welcome to my Joliebox blogpost. I'm not going to go in to too much detail about each product as I'm sure you've probably already seen quite a few of these posts. The theme for this months box is Joliebox in bloom, it's basically a mix of products with plant and flower ingredients or theme to them. Essential Care - Organic Moisturiser You get a 15ml sample of this which I think is ok, I would have liked a bit more but it will give you enough to have a few applications. The moisturiser is paraben, petrochemicals and artificial fragrance free, so that will please paraben haters. I haven't used it yet, but I'll let you know what I think when I have. Talika - Eye Therapy Patch This is a re-usable patch that apparently 'instantly smooth's the eye area using extracts of safflower, avocado and rosehip'. Hmmmm, I'm a bit sceptical to be honest, but we'll see. You get one patch in the silver pack. RMK - Make Up Base I was r...

China Glaze For Audrey 2 coats, Sally Hansen Base Coat, no top coat with flash. If you read my haul last week you will have seen that I had a mystery Tiffany style blue sent to me instead of the other China Glaze polish I ordered. One of my followers told me that it looks very much like 'For Audrey'. I've had a look at some swatches online and I think she is right. This is such a strange thing to happen as around the same time, that's when we found out that my Nan's condition had worsened. So why is it a coincidence? Her name is Audrey! As I told you a couple of days ago my Nan has been poorly for some time and a couple of weeks ago we found out she has cancer in both her lungs. Well, a few days ago we were also told that it has spread to her brain, and it was a terrible blow. Cancer is such a terrible disease and I really feel for anyone who is either going through it themselves, or has a family member suffering. It's such a vicious horrible thing...

Hi all, me again. I just got this In Style Magazine with a free Nails Inc nail polish in it. There are three different polishes available but the shops I went to only had this peachy coloured one called Peach Sorbet. Isn't it pretty?  I love it when magazines are giving something free away, as I love reading the magazine anyway, so the giveaway's really are a bonus! It really is a great deal as this magazine is only £3.80 and a Nails Inc nail polish is £11.00. This is just a nice quick post to show you my bargain. Take care all, byeeeeeeeee x :-) `

I was sooooo excited to get my nail mail this morning, tee hee hee!! For the past couple of months I've been really getting back in to nails, and  been admiring other bloggers nail art. So there was nothing else for it, I wanted some stamping plates and I wanted them now. I asked a couple of people which ones were good and a few people recommended Bundle Monster plates. But of course I can never just stop at buying one thing so here is my small nail art haul. Konad White and Black Special Polish Now I know that the special polishes aren't essential for stamping, but as a newbie stamper I wanted something that would make things easier so I opted to buy the black and white. I got these for £6.30 each for 11ml of product. Konad Stamper and Scraper The Bundle Monster plates do not come with a stamper or scraper so you have to buy them seperately, and in fact they don't even make them! So I took the same option and bought the Konad ones. For both the stamper and scrap...

Essie Flawless, no topcoat, with flash. Today I have another beautiful pink creamy nail polish for you. This time it is Essie's Flawless from the 2009 Spring Collection. I've been really with the Essie polishes I've tried so far and this is no exception. So Essie say that this is a 'cherry blossom pink' that's probably about right. It's kind of a cutesy hubba bubba bubblegum pink but bright and pigmented. This is a gorgeous colour and looks good on me with its cool tone. Essie Flawless, no top coat, no flash. The formula is fairly thin, but not in a bad way because it's so pigmented that it goes opaque in two coats. I really enjoyed applying it and didn't have any problems. I love the glossy finish on this, so didn't need to use a topcoat. Do you have this polish? Do you like it? Are there any other Essie's you would recommend to me? That's all from me for now, take care, byeeeee x :-)

Hi there everyone, I know it's actually Thursday now but I haven't been able to do any blog posts or reply to comments in the last couple of days due to my Nan being very ill. It's a very hard time for me and my family... I really wanted to do my pink Wednesday post so I'm still doing it, just a day late. So here is the beautiful OPI Sparrow Me The Drama, from the Pirate's Of The Caribbean collection. I got this in one of my recent hauls from Fragrance Direct for only £6.45, bargain! If you want to see which other polishes I got, you can click here . This is a gorgeous deep but bright cool toned pink. The formula for this was absolutely wonderful and with two coats you get a perfect finish. The pictures shown are with just two coats and I had no issues with it at all. This is a really stunning colour and suits my 'English Rose' skin tone really nicely. If you haven't tried this colour, I would highly recommend it!  That's all f...

I find Clarins products really luxurious, but as they are fairly pricey, I usually hint at family to buy them for me as gifts. I got this a little while ago in a set with a face mask and serum (which I will also review) but this was the full sized product in the set. I've been using this cream for about three months, and it's nearly all used up so I think I can give it a fair review. The packaging looks and feels luxurious as it's an oval glass pot with a sturdy plastic lid and that stylish golden piping and and the C on top. You get 50ml/1.7oz of product for £33.50, yes I know it's quite allot to spend on a moisturiser, but sometimes you do get what you pay for. When I have an expensive/luxurious product I do like to try and make it last so I only use this in the morning, and use my usual NO7 night cream in the evenings. It feels like absolute heaven to apply, the thick white cream glides over your skin and soaks in nice and quickly. I usually apply it, then ...

Today I have surprise, surprise, another pink nail polish! It's Essie's Neo-Whimsical from the 2010 collection, The Art Of Spring. I'd seen plenty of swatches online and I just knew I had to have it! So of coarse it was the first from the Essie's out of my haul I had to try. It's a pale milky pink with a hint of lilac. The formula is super duper creamy and appeared to be going on very well and smoothly. Drying time between coats was good and I used three coats to get it opaque, but that's to be expected with a pastel cream. I was really pleased with it as when I'd finished my third coat it looked beautiful. After a little while I went to get a drink from the kitchen and when I looked my nails they were all bubbly (as you can see from the non-flash picture). Now this is very strange, because I painted my toes at the same time and they didn't have any bubbles at all. Hmmmm, I'm going to assume that it's user error and not the polish. ...

Since having my little girl last year, my poor skin and hair have really suffered. Before I was pregnant I had to wash my hair every day otherwise it would get greasy very quickly and look like I'd dipped my head in a chip pan, mmmm attractive! But in the last few months my hair has been so dry and fly away that I really felt that I needed something to add lots of moisture. I was watching one of Holly from the YummyMummy Beauty Blog's favourite video's on Youtube and she was saying how good L'oreal Mythic oil was for adding some moisture and giving you a lovely silky smooth finish to your hair. So I made a note of it and was going to do a bit of hunting around online, but to my surprise I received one in one of my beauty boxes, SCORE! When I first went to use it I have to admit I was a little apprehensive. I kind of thought, hang on a minute, is putting oil on my hair really a good idea? Could this bring back the former 'chip-head' me? But I decide to ...

Afternoon all, a couple of days ago I saw someone on Twitter talking about doing a blog-hop. I hadn't ever heard about one so I decided to ask my old pal Google what it was all about. The idea is, one or two bloggers are the hosts and everyone adds their blog links on to a list amd then you can go through the blogs on the list and follow the ones you like. This is SUCH a great idea! It's a great way of little known bloggers to get their blogs out there and also a great way of finding fresh new blogs to read, everyone's a winner! I actually joined two of them this weekend and I urge you to take a look at the links below and see what it's all about. http://bloglovetherapy.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/blog-hop-10.html?m=1 http://meetmeonthebrightside.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/brightside-beauty-weekend-blog-hop_17.html#more

Orly Artificial Sweetener, 2 coats, no top coat, with flash. I was so happy to receive my order after waiting for it for so long so obviously I had to try out one of my new nail polishes last night! I had allot to choose from so I just closed my eyes and grabbed one, the one I picked out was Orly Artificial Sweetener . First of all lets address the packaging, the lid on these bottles is made of a sort of rubber which is super duper easy to hold and makes applying your polish a really nice comfortable experience. Then you have the fact that you get a whopping 18ml of product which is great if you ask me, some polishes you get half as much. No flash in the shade This shade is from their Spring 2012 collection, Cool Romance. I would call this a light dusty pink with a gorgeous subtle gold shimmer running through it. In the shade it looks just like a plain cream, but when the light hits it, it looks absolutely stunning! Even my Dad paid me a compliment on it this morning a...

Left to right, Everythings Rosy, Cupcake, Artificial Sweetener, Elsbeths Rose. Here are the Orly polishes that I picked out, yes they are all pink! When I first got them out of the packet, I thought they were all very similar, but there's quite a big bit of difference so I'm pleased with them. I've heard such good things about Orly so I'm super duper excited to try them out! Left to right, French Affair, Flawless, Neo Whimsical, Lily Pond. Next up are the Essie's , ok so I went as bit overboard with seven of them, but these are shades I've wanted for a while so I think they're justified... Lef t to right, Unkown China Glaze, Essie Lilacism, Essie Topless and Barefoot. The China Glaze on the end was meant to be Something Sweet which is a pink cream, and this is clearly not it! The worst thing is, there is no sticker on the bottom to tell me which polish it actually is. Not too happy about it and I've sent an e-mail to see what th...

Sally Hansen Max Growth Plus Natural Sienna, 2 coats, Sally Hansen Max Growth Base/Top Coat, with flash. Here we have the next Sally Hansen from my haul and this one is Natural Sienna from the Maximum Growth Plus line. If you read my post on the Sally Hansen Mille Fleurs polish , you'll know that I had problems with the application. Because of this I was expecting this one to be equally as troublesome, but to my surprise (and delight) this one went on much better! The bottle this one comes in is not quite as pretty as the Diamond Strength polishes, and you get 13.5ml of product which I thought was a strange amount, why the need for the .3? You would think it would be 13 or 14... This was one of the more beat up bottles so that maybe another reason why I prefer the other style. As above, no flash To me, Natural Sienna looks like a bronze chocolate type colour, and it is very warm toned. I usually don't go for colours like this but th...

As I've done so many nail posts in a row, I thought I'd shake things up a bit and talk about something else. So what is my other obsession apart from Nail Polish? Lipstick! Although to be honest lipstick is actually my longest running love, as I've always had a soft spot for it since being an iddly biddy girly. As I haven't done a favourites for so long I thought I'd let you know which lipsticks are getting my attention at the moment. Mac's Jubilee has been one of my favourites for a while as it's so easy to wear and goes with everything. Mac describe it as a 'nude beige pink', but I'd say it leans more on the browny beige side with pink undertones. Being a lustre it is a little sheer but also very moisturising. I usually get a couple of hours wear out of it. I think this would suit all skin tones, thus making it a great staple for anyones collection. Mac's Viva Glam Gaga 2 is one that I got towards the end of las...

Sally Hansen Mille Fleurs, 2 coats, Sally Hansen Max Growth Base/Top Coat, with flash. Today I have a beautiful girly colour from Sally Hansen's Diamond Strength No Chip Nail Colour line, Mille Fleurs . Before my little haul the other day I was actually a Sally Hansen virgin so was really pleased to try one and I chose this vibrant pink to start with. First of all look at the gorgeous bottle it comes in, it's kind of a teardrop shap with as shiny mirrored lid and even a little crystal on thr front! You get 13ml of product so quite a decent amount of polish and I only paid £1.50 from Fragrance Direct, bargain! This is a really vibrant corally pink cream and it's very warm toned. Warmer tones usually don't look very good on my skintone but this particular one looks really nice I think. The formula is a little on the runny side and it did want to keep running in to my cuticles, but actually if you take your time and are careful there are no blobs on the brush (...

OPI Steady As She Rose, 3 Coats, Sally Hansen Max Growth Base Coat, with Flash. So here I am, I'm definately on a roll with getting back in to blogging and I think it's due to my new found love of all things nail polish! I've always worn it & had about 25/30 polishes in a box to keep my fingers looking pretty but in the last few weeks when I was on bed rest I've really been enjoying more nail related blogs and have found myself wanting to try more and more and I've even just put an order in for some stamping plates. I am a complete stamping virgin so it will probably be some time before I post any of my stamping, but I'm really looking forward to getting started with it! Let's talk about the polish in the picture, first of all please let me apologise for the poor effort of clean-up. I didn't notice until I came to upload this post so unfortunately you'll just have to excuse it lol. This gorgeous creamy polish is OPI Steady As She Rose ...