IBD blogger event

I was lucky enough to have been invited to Grafton International last thursday for their ‘IBD geeks - back to school’ blogger event.

It was a day packed full of practical and theory, learning all there is to know about the simple mani and gel nails. 

We arrived to a beautifully drawn poster from one of the ibd nail ladies, and yummy pastries whilst we got to know the other guests. We then met Laura the IBD nail tech who led us into the lush nail room, filled with lots of beauty products and SO much nail polish.

The morning was spent doing a bit of nail theory; learning everything from nail anatomy to the history of manicures. As I have always been self taught in my nail journey, I didn’t know any of the information we were being taught so for me it was such an interesting extra to the day I didn’t expect. It will really help me when doing other peoples nails in the future and definitely widened my overall nail knowledge.

Laura followed by showing us the simple mani; including filing, cuticle care and french manicure whilst answering our many questions.

This was followed by a practical lesson, giving each other mani’s putting our new skills to the test. 

The morning went so quickly and before I knew it, it was lunch time. We enjoyed a cup of tea and sandwiches chatting everything there is about blogging, taylor swift and christmas nail collections. 

The afternoon was all about the IBD Just gel collection. They have 114 gel nail polishes in their staple collection. 

We were shown how to do a french and a plain gel colour. As a complete gel novice I found this part of the day particularly interesting and had so many questions. Laura made the whole process super easy to understand and remember. I thought it was going to be very complicated but it really wasn’t (when taught the correct way!) 

We then had a go on each other and were all in awe of how shiny the IBD polishes were… our absolute fave was Smokey Plum - a perfect autumnal colour. Safe to say I had made my mind up about buying it later in the day. 

Then onto our lesson in removal - I had the assumption that this was the most annoying - not to mention nail ruining experience. Of course Laura proved my expectations were myths. After putting this to the test and asking lots more nail related questions along with a bit of singing to Taylor Swift’s new album the short course was complete. And by this time we all had our eyes on the products we were going to get our hands on, and were eager to get browsing. 

The IBD ladies then came into the salon with huge IBD goodie bags! They were filled with so many exciting things - I couldn’t wait to get home and try it all out! 

I feel so fortunate to have been a part of the day and had the chance to learn so much in such a small space of time. I was also really delighted by the generosity of IBD - I absolutely love the products they had gifted to us and cannot wait to try them out/review them and share my experience. 

I've included lots of pictures below - so have a good scroll!

Ps - be sure to check out the ‘colour map’ on their website. Using skin tone and nail shape you can try on their colours. Such an amazing idea! xox

My six tips to longer hair

So, this post is a little different today. I hope you find it interesting and don’t get annoyed that it isn’t nail related. I have quite long hair, not extremely but I often get asked how it grows fast, so I decided to share my daily hints and tips. My hair isn’t in the best condition either but I am working on it! (I am putting off a due hair cut too) These certainly are not the tips of a professional; it is just what works for me. 

1. Drink up!

My number one tip is a boring and well known one, but the most valuable. Drinking water will quickly solved poor hair, nail growth as well as poor skin. A tip to stay on track throughout the day with water is to fill your days drinking bottles the night before and store them in the fridge. If you don’t like water… tough! Learn to love it. Spice it up with adding fruit to your bottles.

2.     Don’t wash your hair everyday. 

I have never done this, in my opinion it dries hair out and in the long run will make it look lifeless. I wash my hair every 2-3 days. However, conditioner is another story. Do this lots and use lots of it. Some say too much dries it but it seems my hair can never get enough of it. Brush conditioner through after every shampoo and leave it for a good 5 minutes. If hair is very dry, you can wet the ends everyday and just condition them. Sometimes it is hard not to shampoo everyday but if you are having a lazy day just leave it be!

3.     Hair mask Monday. 

Save an evening in the week for a bath and a hair mask. There are so many masks available these days but some are pricey, And if your hair is like mine 1 sachet is never enough! There are many masks that can be made from home with each concoction helping a specific hair type. Plus they are fun to make! And why not use a face mask at the same time too.

4.     Get to know your vitamins. 

Too little or too much isn’t great so get familiar with your body/hair type and get to know which suppliments you actually need. If you take vitamins your body doesn’t need, it will not do good things! I take the perfectil original (hair, skin, nails) and it works well for me. It has balanced variety of vitamins that help my overall health. However, they can be pricey (I look out for the discounts) There are many other brands to suit each individual.

5.     Straighteners aren’t your friend in the long run. 

I always used to straighten my hair not knowing how bad it really was (and still paying the price). Using protecting spray helps very little. The only thing that will stop heat damage is not doing it everyday! During term time I only use heat once a week/on weekends. During the week I don’t use a hair dryer either - this allows my hair to rest and actually grow! There are many other hair styles achievable without using heat. If you do use heat everyday it will grow but slowly and will mean more hair cuts are needed.

6.     A trustworthy hairdresser - vital! 

Find a salon that you trust. I’ve been going to the same one for years and they know how much I hate getting my hair cut. As much as  I hate to admit it regular trims are a must. I’m still in denial about this but I know it’s true. Twice a year (usually) I’ll get the smallest amount off as possibly. The very dead ends and my hairdresser totally gets this. I get a dye once a year and cannot stress enough do not dye your hair yourself! I did it for years and it takes years to get it back healthy again.

I know this was a different read but hopefully an interesting one. I’m getting back on my weekly hair routine after neglecting it a little. Comments/feedback appreciated. 

xox

Celebrate with Sally

 I have finished uni for summer! Yay! 

So, I decided I wanted I do a very bright summery colour. However, of course in sunny old England, it rained. Photographic evidence below. 

For this simple mani I used: OPI - natural base, Sally Hansen - Kook a mango, Sally Hansen - top coat. And the born pretty store glitter. I am also trying Sally's Vitamin E Oil. So far so good with it - it has a lot in the bottle so worth the price.

As you may or may not know, I'm not a fan of red polish typically but this one is an orangey red and is very pretty. I don't like the brushes on Sally's polishes, they are way too big for my nails which ends in a lot of clean up. Nevertheless, the finish of the polishes is great. The colour also looked great against my tartan shirt. 

I am doing some work experience over the next few weeks so my mani's will be mostly swatches and simples. Acrylic paints will be out as soon as!

Purchase your born pretty store glitter in the link below to create this look. 

http://www.bornprettystore.com/hexagon-nail-glitter-dust-powder-noble-sheet-decoration-colors-p-785.html
xox