Recent Beauty Buys

Palmers Natural Bronze Body Lotion - I bought this product because I am looking for something that will not only moisturise my skin but will also give me a natural looking tan in preparation for my holiday. There is no way I am going on holiday looking pale - I don't go anywhere looking pale! Originally I planned to go on sun beds before my holiday but I have now decided I am totally against sun beds for obvious reasons and of course sunny days in England aren't very reliable so I am going to have to fake it. I haven't used any self tanning products for a while because I usually have a weekly spray tan but I won't be getting a sprayed for holiday because a spray tan would fade quicker than usual from the chlorine and I would then have to have a deep exfoliating session at some point in the holiday and it is just too hot to be doing that in Cyprus, also I am going on holiday with 3 other girls so I don't want to be hogging the bathroom for any longer than I will be already. With this product I can reapply through out my holiday and be looking sun kissed all week, no one has to know my tan is from a bottle. In the past I have used Dove Summer Glow as a tinted body moisturiser but I opted for Palmers this time because I love their original body lotion, it smells gorgeous. Yesterday I used it for the first time and I will be applying a second coat tonight, so far I am impressed, I have a really light tan at the minute but I will be building it up. I find some moisturisers are too thick but I like the consistency of this product, it is really easy to apply and leaves my skin looking and feeling great!

Argan Oil Hydrating Hair Mask - My hair has been feeling dry lately which I think is due to frequently washing and using heat on it - which I have not cut down on. I feel like my hair needs a boost so I have been buying some new products because as I said in a previous post I really want to get my hair in good condition for my holiday. Argan oil is highly recommended for hair and when I seen this product in savers for only £1.00 I had to try it. I used this product this morning and as I am writing this I am waiting for my hair to dry (I prefer to let my hair dry naturally) I washed my hair as normal with shampoo and conditioner and then applied the hair mask, it says to leave the mask for 7-10 minutes but I left it in for around half an hour for a deep treatment as I exfoliated my skin. I am hoping this product will work on my hair but for £1.00 it is at least worth a try. I will let you know my thoughts after a few applications. 

Pantene Dry Oil with Argan Oil - Pantene is an established hair care brand so when I found this product in savers for around £4.00 which I thought was pretty cheap, I thought it was worth a try. I have been using this product for a week now after every wash, although I can't say the results are amazing I definitely think my hair is feeling less dry and I think it has also made my hair look shinier and healthier. The directions say to use a small amount on damp hair but I have also used a little on the ends of my hair when it is dry too. So far I am pleased with this product and hope it will help to revive my hair in the long run. 

NARS Lipgloss 'Turkish Delight' - This was featured in my 'May Makeup Wish List' post and I finally got my hands on in last month when I came across a NARS counter. The main reason I wanted to buy this is because it is product Kim Kardashian has been known for using and I wanted to try my first NARS product. Unfortunately I have not been so impressed; firstly the lipgloss is so over priced, along with the rest of the NARS product line (some of which may be worth the price but I am yet to try). Another thing I don't like about this lip gloss is that it leaves my lips feeling dry which I have never found with a lip product I have used before. However the colour is different to any other lip gloss in my collection so I have been trying it out with some makeup looks and I found the colour of the lip gloss complimented my eye makeup. My over all opinion is that it is not worth £18.50 and I prefer a more vibrant colour on my lips because I think this colour can I be a little draining and if I was going to splurge on an expensive lip gloss I would prefer to save a few pounds and head to the MAC counter, although the Chanel lip glosses look gorgeous but I will have to read a few more reviews before I invest! 

Summer Nails

This week I decided to get in to the summer spirit and go for some bright nails. I'm loving this vivid orange Gelish colour called 'I'm Brighter Than You' it has been really popular with my clients and I've been dying to try it myself. I've had lots of compliments about them and surprisingly it looks great with so many outfits and colours, I think its a colour I will be referring to through out the summer! 

Favourite Hair Product

As much as I love makeup and beauty products I must admit I have never been as obsessed with hair products, which is probably because I have tried so many from various brands which show no results. However there is one product I do love which is Herbal Essences 'Beautiful Ends'. I cannot recommend this product enough, I have been using this product for a long time now and urged so many people to buy it. Unlike most other hair products I have tried I can tell a difference when I use this, it really does what it says on the bottle. When I use it my hair feels so much softer, the ends don't feel dry, my split ends are less noticeable, it controls frizz, and lets not forget to mention it smells gorgeous!

http://www.herbalessences.com/en-UK/beautiful-ends/split-end-protection-cream

I apply 'Beautiful Ends' after I have washed my hair, I dispense about 4 pumps of the product and use my hands to distribute the product from the mid-length to the end of my hair and I leave it to absorb. It is a cream formula, which spreads easily through out my hair, it absorbs quickly and it doesn't leave my hair feeling sticky or heavy. This can also be used on dry hair but I prefer to use a lighter product on dry hair like a serum (the one I am currently using is Umberto Giannini 'Miracle Worker' which is a best seller from their range, I think it is good but not brilliant). Herbal Essences also sell a 'Beautiful Ends Split End Protection Intensive Mask' which I would love to try. 

http://www.herbalessences.com/en-UK/beautiful-ends

Unfortunately at the moment my hair is not in its best condition, if I forget to apply 'Beautiful Ends' my hair feels dry and the split ends are terribly noticeable to me and the ends of my hair doesn't seem as thick. I've recently been looking at some old holiday photos from 2012 and my hair was in a much healthier condition back then. I treat my hair the same now as I did back then but I think the reason for this is that my hair works in a cycle; it will be in good condition for so long and then I begin to get a lot of split ends which I need to keep on top of, I have recently had just under an inch trimmed off my hair but I think I need another inch or maybe even two cut off to get rid of all those loathed split ends. 

I want my hair in good condition for my holiday this year so that it is easy to work with and I don't have to style it every night. Lately I have been straightening and curling my hair a lot with GHD's which I know I need to cut down on as heat protection is not strong enough to prevent my hair from heat damage. I've also cut down on washing my hair as much, I went through a phase of having to wash my hair everyday but I have realised that doing so makes my hair dull and dry, so I now wash it every other day. I am going to continue to use 'Beautiful Ends' and I am also going to buy the 'Intensive Mask' to use on my hair once a week and hopefully doing so will contribute to me getting my healthy hair back! 

Tenerife 2012

In this picture I applied 'Beautiful Ends' and left my hair to dry naturally and scrunched it slightly with some moose. 

If you can recommend any other products or have any tips or tricks on how I can rejuvenate my hair feel free to comment below!

Gelish

Originally I aimed to carry out acrylic nail services in my salon after passing my Nail Technology course at college but I then later decided against it when I came to realise how time consuming the treatment is and I also became conscious of the damage the process of applying acrylic does to our natural nails. Although some people still do prefer acrylic nails, I have found a lot of my clients have turned against them and now prefer to enhance their natural nails with gel polish. 

Gel Polish is applied like a regular nail polish with the 3 steps; base coat, colour coat and top coat but the service requires a little more preparation to ensure beautiful nails that should last 2 weeks. 

The benefits of gel polish are that you don't have to wait for it to dry, it just simply needs to be cured under a UV or LED LAMP and after that you are ready to go with no worries of smudging, chipping or denting the polish. As with any treatment after care is important so if you want to maintain the perfect manicure I would advise you to steer clear from strong chemicals (like acetone or bleach) which may cause the polish to peel, or if you must do so, wear gloves to avoid direct contact with your nails. 

When your nails have grown you will be able to visibly see the growth and it may be tempting to start picking away but you should not remove gel polish by peeling it off, this will damage your nails and make them brittle and weak.

Gelish after 3 weeks! 

Removal of gel polish is also easy, this can be done at a salon or at home. To remove, finger nails need to be soaked in acetone for around 10 minutes, after that you will be able to see that the polish has lifted from the natural nail and you should then push off the polish with a cuticle tool. To finish, a buffing file should be used to smooth the surface of the nails and remove any remaining traces of the polish. 

I started collecting gel polish for my salon just before Christmas, there are many different brands of gel polish but after doing my research and test driving products from various brands, I decided to stock Gelish by Harmony Nails. What I found with Gelish is that it can last longer than other gel polishes, with some of my clients it has lasted 3 weeks! But the main reason I picked Gelish is because of the huge colour range. 

So far I have 19 colours (I have a sheer colour painted on another colour wheel) which have all been really popular with my clients. Gelish often bring out new colour collections but instead of buying a full collection I prefer to choose the colours I like and I think my clients will like and also colours they have requested. Some of the most popular colours in my collection are the glitters, which looks lavish all year round. When choosing colours I go for what is in demand at the time, for example at Christmas I ordered shades of red, where as now it is coming to the summer I have started buying bright and vibrant shades which are highly sought-after. When it comes down to buying, Gelish is quite expensive so I try to order about 4 colours at a time. I order online so I go through the many colours and narrow it down to my favourites. I think the next colours I buy will be a silver glitter, turquoise glitter, yellow, coral and a red/pink. 

If you are one of my clients what colours would you like to see in my collection or if you use Gelish yourself what colour would you recommend?

'Carnival Hangover' and 'All That Glitters Is Gold' with Swarovski crystals

'My One Blue Love' and 'All That Glitters Is Gold' with Swarovski crystals

Tan Truth Spray Tan Review

I have tried so many spray tan solutions since getting a spray tan machine and even before that I use to treat myself to a spray tan once in a while when I was going somewhere special. Now I have a spray tan near enough every week, its so much easier to jump in the tent and be sprayed rather than applying a lotion or mouse, rubbing it in, making sure its even and struggling to reach your back, it seems to take forever! However a spray tan is done in under 10 minutes and all it takes for the best results is a little moisturiser applied to the dry areas (hands, feet, elbows, knees) to prevent the tan building up on the dry skin and someone you trust with a spray gun! Of course preparation is key as it is with any tanning product, you must exfoliate and shave at least 24 hours before tanning for the best results. You can't expect a fresh even tan with dry patches and traces of last weeks remaining tan (but us beauticians try our best under all circumstances). A few other spray tan top tips are to wear a hair net to prevent your hair from the tan, 'sticky feet' to prevent the soles of your feet from the tan when stood in the tent and also giving the palms of your hands a little wipe after the spray tan.

With that said you can probably tell what is my favourite tanning method and it goes with out saying that we should all keep off sun beds or at least use them in moderation. 

In the past I have bought spray tan solutions from various brands including Sienna X, Famous Dave, Laurens Way and Sol Glo and some of the tans I have had from other salons include Fake Bake and California Tan.

I have never had a really horrible spray tan, however with most I have thought there could be room for improvement but for me, Tan Truth is an all rounder! 

Tan Truth has so many benefits, not only do you get the gorgeous tan you long for but its with out all the dreaded side effects. First of all,  this is the only spray tan where I have felt dry enough to get in to my clothes just minutes after being sprayed and when I am dressed I don't feel like my clothes are clinging to me, so many of my clients have commented on this. Another thing I use to hate about spray tans is when you sleep in your tan over night and you wake up the next morning and feel so dirty and you just want to jump in the shower as soon as you get out of bed, with this tan I feel like I have nothing on my skin, I feel quite fresh but of course I feel even better when I wash it off to reveal a perfect streak free tan. When people think of any tanning product they think of the smell, but again I must say this tan wins in this field! Of course it does have a scent but its not strong or unpleasant and the smell isn't left lingering on your bed sheets like other tans. Another problem I have had with spray tans is those 2 hour baths I have found myself in, struggling to remove the tan, but not with this one! This has been the easiest to remove of all I have tried. You also get your weeks worth with this one, most tans are said to last up to a week but I have found some tans fading after just 2 days, most around 4-5 but I would say Tan Truth starts fading after 6 days. I have also never found myself with that scaley and patchy skin you get when the tan is wearing away. One of the main things I love about this tan is the colour. Most importantly its not orange, orange is not a good look! I think this tan is really natural looking, it has that holiday feel, I would describe it as a golden bronze and sun kissed. 

There are 2 shades of this tan 9% which is described as the ultimate natural, golden tan and 13% a deeper, darker tan. I would recommend those who are new to spray tans to get the 9% and for myself I prefer this as a day to day tan. If I was having a night out I would go for the 13% and I would advise all the tan lovers to get this too! 

After trying and testing in search of the tan I thought was best for me and my clients Tan Truth was the winner, it won in every field! Its great value for money and all my clients have been happy with their tan and I have had lots of recommendations and returning customers. 

With my 13% dark Tan Truth spray tan 

Full Outfit - Chic Boutique Darlington 

Shoes - Bank

So if you haven't tried it, book your Tan Truth spray tan now at Rose Beautique Darlington! 

Rose Beautique Darlington

I began studying Beauty Therapy at Darlington College when I was 17, I went to college for 2 years. For the first year I studied Level 2 Beauty Therapy , after passing the course I was qualified in facials, manicures, pedicures, waxing, eye treatments and makeup application. Along side the course I also done some extra training with enrichment courses and received certificates in Fake Bake spray tanning, Dermalogica facials, Minx nails, Art Deco makeup, OPI manicures and Swarovski manicures/pedicures. For my second year at college I studied Nail Technology and trained to do acrylic, gel polish and gel sculpture nails as well as nail art and nail air brushing. 

When my time at college came to an end I must admit I felt lost, I didn't have a job at the time, but I had an idea in my head. It had always been in my interest to run my own business and be self employed. so while I was still at college me and my mam began designing my 'salon' in the conservatory at home. There wasn't a whole lot of work that needed to be done other than redecorating but I had a lot of tools and equipment to buy. It was ready for a while before I opened it to the public, it took me a while to pluck up the courage to start advertising, but in September last year I made a page on Facebook and I also promoted on Twitter and Instagram. I wasn't sure how well I was going to do but over time my clientele has built up and I have regular clients, who have spread the word and I have new clients coming all the time. I am so happy with how it has turned out and I have high hopes for the future. 

My business cards, I love the design they match my salon perfectly!

Gelish nails by me

Gelish in 'Make You Blink Pink'

Gelish in 'All That Glitters is Gold'