Seche Vite Topcoat - Am I fan?

Seche Vite Topcoat link

Before beauty blogging Seche Vite top coat had completely escaped me. This was no surprise as I was an acrylic nail wearer so such things were not needed. As soon as those acrylic's were removed I suddenly realised the importance of such a product in my kit especially one spoke so highly of as Seche Vite is.

Unfortunately for me I was a little underwhelmed especially after the initial euphoria of finding it for a mere $5 in Sally's, Las Vegas whilst waiting for a taxi I poked my head in for a nose round.

Personally for me I found that it didn't seem to make my nail polish last any longer than normal. And now I see it has no comparison to eyeCandy's top coat which I blogged about here. If I have anything to speak about Seche Vite highly it's that it certainly evens out any bad paint jobs which I'm prone to doing as I often rush nail painting but otherwise it was just a bit of a let down.

I've also now entered the stage where my bottle has started to thicken and become a little to messy to use up. I could buy the thinner but I'm just not that bothered enough to make the effort to make this bottle last a little longer.

So whilst Seche Vite may be winner of many awards and the holy grail of many a blogger, for me it just doesn't hit the spot. What about you?

A Bob Bob Ricard Birthday

Bob Bob Ricard link

The company I work for allows us the day off for our birthday. Luckily for me as mine will often fall around the Easter Bank Holiday, like this year, instead of the four day weekend, I was able to get five days.

After seeing the famous 'press for champagne' button at Bob Bob Ricard instagrammed to excess I needed to visit for myself and see if it was more than this gimmick. I knew my mum would love it and dad would enjoy complaining about how much it was going to cost him. Unfortunately for dad he was unwell the day we were due to visit for lunch so left mum and I to go alone. Very dangerous with no one to reign us in.

As soon as we were seated in our comfortable booth we fought over who got to press the button first. As it was my birthday of course I won that battle. Two glasses of champagne were promptly brought to our table whilst we perused the menu and admired the surroundings. 

The decor is amazing and feels like stepping back in time and mum gave the art deco touches. A nice touch in the booths which I really liked was that hidden in the backs of the chairs were hangers to hang your coats so you have them close by if needed and when you decide to leave you're not waiting around to catch someones attention or wait for them to find it.

The restaurant felt relaxed for the lunchtime service with waitresses ready for you at a whim without hassling you through your meal. There was a lovely ambience from fellow diners which appeared a mix of client dinners, couples enjoying a romantic lunch and groups of friends enjoying a meal together.

We both perused the pink menus and nibbled on bread before our mains arrived. Mum went for steak and I, in a complete shocker chose the chicken! I have to tell you it was the best chicken I've ever eaten and the chicken skin - amazing. 

To share we picked truffle mash and spring greens. As fellow truffle lovers will know the mash was delicious and the perfect pairing for our meals. 

After the obligatory selfie with my champagne glass we couldn't finish our meal without the signature dish, the Chocolate Glory. A chocolate shell that melts to reveal chocolate brownie, passionfruit and orange jelly and meringue.

I'd definitely recommend Bob Bob Ricard for a special lunch as it was a lovely venue, delicious meal and made that little bit more special with drinking champagne a requirement rather than an indulgent choice. 

This weekend my friend and I are heading to BBR for dinner so I'm looking forward to seeing how it compares and what makes the evening experience different to my lunch one. I'll report back.

Barry M Spring Shades

Barry M Gelly Nails link

There was much discussion between my friend and I last week as we debated whether I would have my gel nails applied before my holiday. Yes I know oh to have 'my problems'.

Firstly my nails are in pretty good shape at the moment thanks to a new nail strengthener I'm using along with the eyeCandy top coat and to have gel nails applied will weaken them and undo all my good work.

Secondly my trip is nine days in some pretty intense heat and will the gel last? I get between one and two weeks out of gel nails depending on whether they're Biosculpture or Gelish and how well I look after them in that time.

Thirdly what one colour could I commit to for the full week? The biggest worry of all!

So you can see what a dilemma I had on my hands. As my friend and I discussed the pro's and cons she finally out with what made the decision easier. When she had visited Dubai the heat had left to them lifting earlier than usual although she was particularly dramatic and used the term 'melting' which led me to visions of me on my sun lounger with puddles of gel nail polish around me.

As I was already conscious I may have had to go through the hassle of removing the gels towards the end of my holiday and applying nail varnish till my return home, the fear of 'melting' and finally my issues with colour commitment I decided that I would go with taking a few nail colours with me and changing at whim.

Happy with my vision of my sitting on the hotel balcony with a martini whilst I paint my nails to match one of the many outfits I've brought for the trip it also meant I could do some shopping because obviously I needed to by some appropriate shades.

My first purchase was from Barry M and the colours I chose were Rosehip and Sugar Apple. Perfect for the current season at home and I imagine will look lovely with the tan I plan on cultivating whilst away.

Whilst I like Sugar Apple and it was my favourite on purchase it's actually Rosehip that has stood out for me. I don't 'do' nude nails very well and this has the right balance of being neutral enough to go with most things but with enough punch that I feel I have a colour on my nails.

We all know how good Barry M nails so they are a perfect choice for taking on holiday as I will not worry about them chipping and application is a breeze. I'm thinking this might be the colour I start with for my trip but having picked up another three nail colours last weekend that could be subject to change.

What would be your go to holiday colour?

Roger & Gallet Hand & Nail Balms

Roger & Gallet Hand & Nail Balm* link

I was rather pleased when I received these Roger & Gallet hand creams or officially (and elegantly) called 'hand balms' fell through my door. We all know by now how much I love a good hand cream and I've been a fan of the Roger & Gallet brand since using their body lotions.  

 

The two handy sized scents I received were Fleur de Figuier and Bienfaits and I'm in love with both so much so that the tubes are on their way to an empties post very soon the rate I'm using.

 

I've never quite got the 'fig' fanclub but having smelt Fleur de Figuier, enriched with fig extract I'm ready to sign up to that club. It's amazing and so much so that my hands were wafted under a friends nose at the weekend to appreciate the smell!

 

Not to worry Bienfaits also smells equally as delicious with its five fruit extracts; blackcurrant, pomegranate, cranberry, blueberry and cherry that I have had both floating around in my handbag at one time or another.

 

Both and all Roger & Gallet hand balms are enriched with shea butter to protect and nourish, aloe vera to hydrate and soothe dry skin and other tricks such as apricot kernel oil to soften.

 

If you've listened to my musings on hand creams in the past you will be familiar with my 'mug test' and I can confirm that both of these pass - yes I can pick up a cup of tea without it slipping thanks to a non-greasy and non sticky formula.

 

The perfect 30ml travel size is £6 and with beautiful packaging, scents and amazing formula I will be repurchasing these again when the time comes.

 

*PR Sample

 

BEAUTY EMPTIES | April 2015

Pixi Glow Tonic link

I'm not entirely sure why it took my so long to use this bottle of Pixi Glow Tonic as I used it on a fairly regular basis. As you can see it's even in the old style pump bottle. I do remember on purchasing it initially I wasn't particularly overwhelmed but due to it's age I don't feel it'd be fair to pass any comment and with it's affordable price I would repurchase again and give it another shot. 

Lush Popcorn Lip Scrub link

Another product that has been in my collection for a ridiculously long time is the famous lip scrub from Lush in the popcorn scent. I originally reviewed this in 2013 here and whilst I did enjoy using the product I wasn't diligent enough with it's application and it is now in a dried up state so it's time to add a new one into my shopping basket. 

COLAB Dry Shampoo Extreme Volume in RIO link

I'm slightly dubious of the influx of products released by YouTubers and the flood of positive reviews and whilst many are not really targeted for me I had to swallow my words when I tried the COLAB Extreme Volume dry shampoo. I picked up the smaller size on a trip to Superdrug thinking it'd be ideal to tackle those hand luggage woes of mine (read about them here). I must concede that this is a great product that I love and have subsequently purchased the full size. I don't use this as a dry shampoo as I'm happy with Batiste for that purpose but as a product to give volume and texture to my hair this is perfect. 

L'Oreal Elnett Satin Hairspray - Supreme Hold link

I'm not really a hairspray user, only if I've had my hair 'properly' style or worn up but it's always handy to have a trusty can of Elnett in my arsenal. I've tried the Bumble & Bumble Thickening Hairspray and it's just too wet for me and often ruins any style I've had or destroy any volume whereas Elnett keeps things in place without leaving things crispy. Definitely much add to my repurchase list. 

Laura Geller GlamLash Mascara link

Another product that made the empties pile this month is the famous GlamLash mascara from Laura Geller. I really enjoyed this mascara and would definitely repurchase. It did everything it said it would, lengthening, volumising and separating lashes, I always felt a little special wearing this and felt it finished off my simple eye make up looks but adding a little drama. 

Bumble & Bumble Thickening Dryspiun Finish link

I have gone through about three cans of Bumble & Bumbles wonderful Dryspun finish and repurchased every time but our happy journey may be at an end having discovered COLAB as mentioned above. These products work for me in a very similar fashion and if I can find one for a fraction of a cost then it's a win win. 

Lush Aquatic Toothy Tabs link

As I've mentioned often I'm taking a concerted effort to use products I have hence why you're seeing a lot of 'old' products starting to make their appearance in these posts. Another is the Lush Toothy Tabs which have been used for all my travels since their early review in 2013 here. Whilst I love this product I hate the taste of these and even Ben was horrified when I made him try one in Edinburgh. I would repurchase but need to find the right 'taste' for me. 

Bath & Bodyworks Wild Madagascar Vanilla EDP link

This was a new fragrance release when I was in BBW during one of my US trips and I fully intended to include in my giveaway. Cheekily after testing I decided I liked it too much and kept it for myself. It was the perfect Winter scent and had a spiciness to it which stopped it from being sickly sweet. 

Simple Kind to Skin+ Illuminating Radiance Cream link

This was a sample I used on one of my nights away and I enjoyed using it. It certainly added radiance after a night out and gave my skin the boost it needed that I could head home with a pounding head but looking more awake than I felt.

The Breath Co Oral Rinse* link
Originally reviewed in this post I was surprised how much I enjoyed using a mouth wash as it's not something that's ever been part of my routine. I have subsequently repurchased the toothpaste having missed it and finding it more palatable than other toothpaste brands. I haven't rushed to repurchase this but I think it's definitely something I should reconsider as it's worth the extra step.

Simple Kind to Skin Facial Cleansing Wipes link
I've featured the Simple wipes in my empties post before as the handy 7's pack is ideal for unexpected overnight stays. Without my regular skincare line up and wanting to do the least in simply removing make up for one night I don't find that these wipes leave my skin dry and make me feel almost saintly for making the effort!

What have you been using up this month?

*PR Sample