How to Remove Glitter Nail Polish
There are a lot of new and exciting trends happening in the world of nail art, especially in doing it yourself at home (we probably have Pinterest to thank for this). One of the easy DIY looks to pull off is the use of a glitter top coat. Check out some of these amazeballs nails:
Unfortunately, removing glitter nail polish is not as easy as applying it. You end up scrubbing and picking at your nail which not only takes a lot of time and manual labour, but also damages your nail and hurts your nail bed.
Luckily I’ve found an easier way. It seems a bit wacko, but trust me – it works! Here’s how.
You will need:
- Nail polish remover
- Cotton wool (cotton pads also work)
- Scissors
- Tin foil
Preparation
Method:
- Begin by cutting up the cotton wool into 10 small pieces that are roughly the size of your nails. Then cut ten rectangular pieces of tin foil.
- Take a cotton wool piece, dip it into the nail polish remover until it is saturated. Then place it on your nail so as to cover all the nail polish.
- Wrap the entire tip of your finger in a piece of tin foil.
- Repeat this on all ten fingers. Leave on for about 10 minutes.
- After 10 minutes, grab hold of the tin foil and pull it off your finger in a wiping motion so as to take off any remaining nail polish.
- Once you’ve done this on all ten nails, take a clean piece of cotton wool and clean off any residual nail polish. There will be some nail polish left, but it will come off really easily.
Step by step guide
And that’s it! Seems a bit like a craft project but it works like a charm – no scrubbing required.
Product Review: Garnier BB Cream
There has been a lot of hype surrounding the BB cream craze of late. BB cream (Beauty Balm cream) has been hailed as the miracle cure for skin imperfections ranging from wrinkles to blemishes to tired looking skin. I was of course interested to find out what it was like, so when Garnier’s BB Cream came onto the South African market, I was eager to give it a try.
Here is what the product claims to do:
Garnier B.B. cream provides an all-in-one skincare solution for immediately perfect-looking skin. Our innovative all-in-one technology hydrates for up to 24 hours and is enriched with a Vitamin C derivative. It boosts radiance for skin that looks luminous. Concentrated in mineral pigments, the formula perfects the appearance of the skin, leaving a unified, natural look.
1 PRODUCT, 5 SOLUTIONS
- Evens tone and boosts glow
- Blurs the appearance of pores and imperfections
- Smoothes the appearance of fine lines
- Up to 24hr hydration
- SPF 15
That’s some big talk right there!
Here is what I thought of the product
At first glance I like the size of the product. If this is going to be as a replacement to foundation (which is the idea), it will last a lot longer than a foundation. The average foundation is 25ml and this is 50ml. It’s also very well priced at R79 from Clicks. You’ll struggle to find a decent drugstore foundation for less than R100 and considering this replaces your daily moisturizer AND foundation you’ll be saving a lot on products.
The smell is that typical Garnier smell. If you’ve ever used a Garnier skincare product you’ll know what I mean. It’s a kind of citrusy fresh smell. You can definitely smell it when it goes on, but it doesn’t last long, so if you’re not a fan of the Garnier scent or scented products in general, you needn’t worry.
The consistency is somewhere in between a face cream and a foundation. It’s not as thick and gooey as a foundation, but it has more weight to it than a face cream. It goes on really easy and works into the skin very well. I’ve used both a foundation brush and my fingers to apply this product and it works well using both methods.
The coverage is definitely light to medium. Being a ginger, I have a large amount of freckles on my face (making for an excellent judge of coverage) and you can definitely still see them after I’ve applied the BB cream. So if you’re looking for something sheer that looks like your skin “just better” then this will suit you. If you’re looking for a good coverage foundation that covers imperfections and gives a flawless finish then this is not for you. I do still have to use concealer and finish with a powder – the cream alone does not “perfect” the skin to that degree.
It is also a very oily formula. If you have problem skin or oily skin I would avoid this cream. You will also need to powder throughout the day. As far as being a moisturizer goes, it hydrates the skin and doesn’t irritate it, and as someone with sensitive skin this is a biggie for me.
Regarding the product’s claims, I have a few issues with this. “Immediately perfect looking skin” is a big statement, and the fact that I still need to use concealer and powder disproves this claim. Skin does look healthier and perhaps more luminous, but nothing that other products haven’t done in the past. To tout this as a miracle product, when really it is just a tinted moisturiser with a new name is an insult to our intelligence as consumer. Call it what it is and nobody gets hurt.
Having said that, I love this product – especially for summer (also contains SPF15). The fact that my freckles make an appearance AND my skin looks healthy and even is great. It’s really cost effective and cuts some precious time off my morning routine. It would be great for travel and camping too.
Before applying the BB cream
With the BB cream applied
With BB cream and concealer and powder
Positives:
- Quick and easy to use
- A good light coverage foundation alternative
- Cost effective
- Evens skin tone and still let’s freckles shine through
Negatives:
- Oily formula
- The packaging: I don’t like the fact that gooey old product gets clogged up in the lid
- The shade range: it comes in three shades (light, medium and dark) and as always, the light shade is not light enough. I have to blend it really well into my neck.
What’s my final verdict? I love this product, and will probably be wearing it for most of the summer. As long as you ignore the unrealistic claims of the packaging and take into account what it ACTUALLY does, you’ll enjoy this product. I say gotta have it!
How to Wear a Bandana [National Bandana Day 12 October]
It’s National Bandana Day on Friday! This means that for a mere R20, you can rock a snazzy bandana in a colour of your choice, AND help safe a life in the battle against childhood leukaemia. Fighting this bloody awful disease that is cancer is a cause close to home for me, and we can all do something to help. You can get your R20 Sunflower Fund Bandana from any Pick ‘n Pay store – even if you’re too shy to wear it, I urge you to contribute to the cause.
Wearing a bandana is no easy task, especially if you work in a corporate environment. Here are a few ideas on how to wear a bandana without looking like a biker’s hairy waistcoated girlfriend:
Around your ponytail
Tie a low side pony for a casual look, or a high one at your crown for a retro 50′s look.
Handbag embellishment
If you’re really shy or you need to wear a uniform during the day, then this option is perfect for you. Match your shoes to your bandana to tie the whole look together.
Wrist cuff
Not too flashy yet adds a bit of interest. Wear it on the same wrist as your watch and a couple of bangles and you won’t look like a suicide survivor.
Neckerchief
Chic and put together with a dress shirt for girls, or with a casual top for guys.
Headband
Wrap it around your head, cross the ends over, and tuck them underneath to get a retro alice band look. Can be worn with hair up or down. For a twist on this, make your hair into a bun and wrap the bandana around the bun.
Pocket handkerchief
This works great with jackets and shirts, on guys and girls. Pick a bright coloured bandana for a splash of fun to your work wardrobe. Guys can match it to their socks to be super trendy.
Two days left to get your Sunflower Fund Bandana! Get thee to a Pick ‘n Pay now! How will you wear yours?
All Banged Up! New Girl Style
I recently finished watching the first season of New Girl, starring every hipster’s dream “person with which to spend intimate time” (because girlfriend is too mainstream) Zooey Deschanel. Not only is it an awesome show, but Zooey is just the cutest funniest thing, and her styling on the show is genius.
About halfway into the series I had this niggling voice in the back of my mind telling me to do something, but I couldn’t quite figure out what it was. But by the end of the season I heard it loud and clear: YOU NEED TO GET BANGS.
Once I’ve decided to do something (or been brainwashed into doing it by a TV show – as you do) I need to have it done right now! I couldn’t possibly wait for my next hair appointment. So I went to the mall on Saturday and asked at one of the salons about whether they could cut them for me, and hey presto! I’m all banged up. So far I’m loving them. If you’ve had issues with greasy hair and bangs in the past, don’t worry. Dry shampoo is you new best friend.
My new bangs
If you’re worried bangs wont suit you, here is a little guide into which bangs will suit your face shape:
- Round face shape: A long angular side-swept will soften the edges of your face. Try aim for a bang that cuts a third of the roundness off, so as to elongate the face.
- Square face shape: A full bang works for a square face, as long as it doesn’t extend too far out towards your temples – keep it narrow so as to round the angles of your face.
- Oval face shape: Lucky you! You can pull off a full bang with ease…in fact just about any bang will suit you. If you have quite a long face, you should consider going for a wide bang to offset the length of the face.
- Heart face shape: Rather opt for a long bang that hits below the chin. Your forehead is the widest part of your face and a shorter bang will draw attention to that.
Musical Theatre Monday: Imelda Staunton to Play Rose in GYPSY
I hereby declare every Monday Musical Theatre Monday *cuts ribbon*.
And if you’re not into musical theatre, or you don’t THINK you’re into musical theatre but are interested in broadening your musical horizons beyond Skrillex and Nickleback (I just threw up in my mouth a little), then please take a moment to check out the stuff I post. It’s not all Julie Andrews and symphony orchestra, I assure you. Even though I do happen to think that those two particular things are pretty spectacular.
I digress.
Big news coming out of the West End last week, is that Imelda Staunton will be starring as Rose in the Chichester Festival’s GYPSY. The show hasn’t been seen in the West End for more than 30 years, so she’s got a big job on her hands. Not only that, but she’ll need to pull something pretty spectacular out of the bag in order to keep up with the ladies who’ve played the role before her. Previous Roses have been Ethel Merman, Angela Lansbury, Tyne Daly, Bernadette Peters, and Patti LuPone.
Staunton’s most recent West End appearance was as Mrs Lovett in Sweeney Todd. Here she is singing The Worst Pies in London. Not great quality but you can hear that the audience is loving her:
What do you think? Will she be able to pull off Rose? It’s an interesting choice. She’s definitely got the acting part down…I wonder what she’ll do with Everything’s Coming Up Roses…
Here is the legendary Ethel Merman doing Everything’s Coming Up Roses – probably considered THE Rose:
And lastly, perhaps my silly favourite because I love her and her disproportionately big head ever since I watched Beaches, here is Bette Midler in the film version:
Who is your best Rose?
