NOTD: Pistachio Ice Cream

3 coats of Makeup Academy Nail Polish in 'Pistachio Ice Cream'

Hello everyone, how are you all? It's been a while!

I picked up this Makeup Academy nail polish from Superdrug for the bargain price of £1. I was drawn in by the new packaging, which has a similar resemblance to Essie packaging and I loved the look of the pretty minty green colour, which is one of my favourite colours to wear on my nails during the Spring and Summer.

The colour looks slightly more green in the bottle, but the nail polish is a really pretty pastel mint. The colour is very similar to American Apparel's Office, which is one of my favourite mint nail polishes. The formula of this nail polish was quite thin and runny. It applied very streakily on the first coat and became generally opaque with a few sparse patches on the second coat. I found applying three coats gave perfect opacity. The brush is very small and thin, which is not my favourite type of brush as I prefer the wider brushes which are easier to use. I found that each coat dried quickly and the polish has lasted well on my nails (even without a top coat). I've had it on for 3 days now and I only have a little tipwear.

Have you tried any nail polishes by Makeup Academy?

Thank you for reading. xoxo, Joy

Review: Indeed Labs Hydraluron and Pepta-Bright

I bought these products from Indeed Labs after they were given a thumbs up by Caroline Hirons, which basically meant that they were automatically added to my mental shopping list. I really like the fuss-free packaging and the tubes, as it's convenient and hygienic to use.

Hydraluron (£24.99)
After reading Caroline's cheat sheet about dry/dehydrated skin, I was convinced that my skin was dehydrated, as my 'symptoms' seemed to fit into the dehydrated category. So I thought: 'Brilliant, Hydraluron will be a much needed moisture boost for my dehydrated skin'. The texture is a gel, which sinks into the skin quickly and doesn't have a scent. Hydraluron has been raved about by a lot of people, but I was disappointed when I used this as I don't feel like it made any difference to my skin. I used it daily in the morning for about 4 weeks, but I haven't been using it for the past week or so and don't see any difference between when I use it and when I don't.

Pepta-Bright (£29.99)
My opinion of Pepta-Bright is the opposite of Hydraluron. I absolutely love this product and it definitely works. Pepta-Bright has a cream like texture and sinks into the skin quickly. I didn't find this broke me out at all. I've noticed that my post acne dark marks are not hanging around as long as they usually would and my skin tone is looking a lot more even overall.

Have you ever tried products by Indeed Labs?

Thank you for reading. xoxo, Joy

N.B. Please remember skincare is subjective. Something that may work for me, might not work for you and vice versa.

Review: Nioxin System Kit 2

My hair has never been thick, but it had recently been feeling really thin and damaged. I also felt that I could have made a wig using the hair that fell out when brushing or washing my hair! I have tried to combat this before by doing the '4 Week No Heat' Challenge and using products, such as the Lush New Shampoo Bar, but this time I decided to try the Nioxin System Kit 2, which is designed for fine, natural hair which is noticeably thinning. I'd read good reviews about this and it claims that '70% of users notice thicker, denser looking hair in 4 weeks'. I have been using this Nioxin Kit for over 1 month now and thought I would give you a run down of my thoughts on it.

The kit comes with a 150ml Cleanser, 150ml Scalp Revitaliser and 40ml Scalp and Hair Treatment - aka a shampoo, conditioner and leave in treatment. I felt that for the price of the system (Around £25), you don't get a lot of product, however the shampoo and conditioner have lasted for a month and half so far (I wash my hair with these products 2-3x a week) and I feel like there's still about half left in the bottle. I think the leave in treatment will last me ages, as I don't use much each time and I will continue to use it even once the shampoo and conditioner are finished.

The Cleanser is a green, gel like texture which kind of reminds me of a gel facial cleanser and the Revitaliser is a typical, white conditioner consistency. They both have a subtle minty smell, which isn't my favourite, but isn't too overpowering. The Cleanser lathers well and my hair felt clean, but not stripped and the Revitaliser gives the hair a nice amount of slip once applied. The Scalp and Hair Treatment is a foam-like texture, which you apply all over the scalp. I was a bit sceptical of putting it near my roots as I was worried it would make my hair greasy or feel like there was product build up, but it didn't. I was unsure how many pumps to use each time, so I generally stick to 2-3 and hope for the best. The instructions say that it "may cause temporary redness and a warming sensation following application", which scared me a little when I read it, but I have never experienced this.

During the use of this kit, I have also stopped using heat on my hair. I still blow dry my fringe, but I don't use my straighteners or curlers unless I'm going out. After using this system, my hair feels quite dry and I feel like I don't need to wash my hair as often. Every now and again, instead of using this every time I wash my hair, I have been using it twice a week and using another shampoo and deep conditioner the other time.

The Nioxin System claims to "deliver 5 effects for thicker looking hair":
1. Reduces hair fall due to breakage - I have definitely noticed that I have less hair around the shower drain after washing my hair.
2. Delivers denser-looking hair - I feel like my hair retains its natural bounce a little more and looks more voluminous. Due to less styling of my hair, I have found that my hair doesn't look as flat either.
3. Amplifies hair texture - I think that by making my hair feel drier, it has given my hair some texture. My hair no longer has that silky, slippy, first day hair feeling and instead retains my natural wave quite well.
4. Helps strengthen hair resilience against cuticle damage - In combination with using less heat on my hair, I have noticed that I have less split ends.
5. Cleanses excessive sebum from scalp - This has definitely happened, as I feel like my hair is quite dry and I feel like I need to wash my hair less often. I usually try to combat this by using a hair oil through the ends to try to help my hair retain some moisture.

I am happy that I have been using this kit. My hair will never be thick, but I have seen some great results. I am sceptical about what will happen once I finish these products and if I don't continue using them, as a lot of hair thinning products require constant use and results stop after stopping use. I will do an update a few weeks after I finish the products if there is anything to note. I can't see myself using this as my only shampoo and conditioner combination as I like to chop and change the products I use, but I would definitely repurchase the products. The kit is a great way to try these products to see if they're for you and I think you can buy each of the products individually in bigger quantities, which is also useful. If you're into SLS free and natural products, then this range will not be for you as you can see the ingredients list, above, is fairly extensive.

Have any of you tried this Nioxin System Kit?

Thank you for reading. xoxo, Joy

NOTD: Prickly Pear, Florals and Polka Dots

'Another NOTD already?!' I know my last post was also a NOTD, but I change my nail polish fairly frequently and I am so in love with this colour and my little attempt at nail art, that I had to share it with you.

3 coats of Barry M Gelly Nail Paint in 'Prickly Pear'

Left: Berry Ice Cream, Right: Prickly Pear

I resisted buying Prickly Pear for as long as I could. When it was released, I knew it was one of those colours that I would love. It is a pretty light purple, which I would say is slightly darker than your typical pastel lilac. The colour is similar to Barry M 'Berry Ice Cream', which is another of my favourites, but comparing them side by side, you can see the difference in colour tone. The formula was easy to work with and needed 3 coats to become fully opaque. The colour is super glossy, even without a top coat. It has lasted well on my nails so far and there are no chips yet.

Nail art and I are not best friends. However I was inspired by Milly's pastel floral nails in her recent post, so I decided to give it a whirl. The technique she linked to was a tutorial by Corrie and it really was as simple as pi. I think the whole nail art process took less than 5 minutes. I didn't trust myself to decorate all my nails, but I threw in a little polka dot design and really like how it turned out. I didn't use any fancy dotting tools or stamps - I just did a few circular blobs of Essie 'Off The Shoulder' using the brush and then swirled in Sinful Colors 'Easy Going' with a cocktail stick, before dotting mini leaves and polka dots using the same cocktail stick and Barry M 'Greenberry' and finishing off with a top coat. Simples.

Have you tried any Barry M Gelly nail polishes? Do you like nail art?

Thank you for reading. xoxo, Joy