Monday 27 June 2011

How To: Remove Soak-Off Gel Nails

Please note: There are different types of gel nails available at nail bars and salons. Some are soak-off (e.g. GELeration and BioSculpture) and others are file-off.  This post refers to soak-off gel nails only.

To remove gel nails yourself you will need:
  • Cotton wool pads cut into small squares
  • Tin foil cut into small squares
  • Coarse nail file
  • Cuticle stick/wooden hoof stick
  • Acetone OR gel remover solution OR acetone based nail varnish remover
  • Buffer
  • Cuticle oil and hand cream

Tin foil and cotton wool

What to do:

1. Buff your nails with the rough nail file just enough to take the shine off. Think of this as 'breaking the seal' on the gel so that the remover solution can be more effective.  You are not trying to file away the gel.
2. Soak a piece of cotton wool with acetone or remover solution and place on the nail.  (I would recommend the remover solution as acetone can be very drying.  A 4oz bottle of GELeration Erase Remover will cost around £6-7 and will last a long time)

    My nail with cotton wool soaked in remover solution
3. Wrap the nail tightly in tin foil. This traps heat helping the removal gel or acetone work much quicker.

    My nail wrapped in tin foil - Edward Scissorhands style!
4. Repeat for each nail in turn. I usually do one hand at a time as it's difficult to do the second hand when the first is wrapped in tin foil!
5. Leave the gels wrapped for about ten minutes.
6. Remove the foil and cotton wool.  The gel should have lifted from the edges inwards.
7. Use a cuticle stick to coax the rest of the gel gently off the nail.  If it doesn't lift easily then soak for longer - don't damage the nail by forcing the gel off!
8. Buff your nails and apply cuticle oil and hand cream to help restore any lost moisture.

Remember, if the gels don't lift easily then you must soak them for longer.  Never pull gel off your nails!

I hope this helps : )

xBBx

Sunday 26 June 2011

Travel Goodies Giveaway: And the winner is...

Congratulations to Sarah Marks of Tiny Gems who is the winner of the Travel Goodies Giveaway!



Thank you to those who entered and r/t the giveaway!

Love xBBx

Monday 20 June 2011

Champney's Skin Refining Micro Derm Face Polish

As you know probably know, I'm a big fan of exfoliating and it's benefits...
  • Brightens the skin
  • Reduces the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
  • Sloughs off the dead skin cells
  • Unclogs pores.
  • Helps to prevent break-outs.

For the past couple of weeks I've been using Champney's Skin Refining Micro Derm Face Polish twice weekly.

It promises to provide 'Intense exfoliation for smoother, radiant, younger looking skin instantly.'

To use it, massage a small amount onto damp skin in circular motions.




It has a thick consistency and feels quite waxy. It's also a bit of a challenge to wash off! The liquid rinses away easily but the exfoliating beads seem to cling to my face, working their way further into my hair line with every splash of water!

That said, my skin is left feeling soft although not any smoother.  I haven't noticed any improvement in skin brightness or congestion.  It's done nothing to unclog my pores or reduce the lines on my forehead!

Doubt I would buy this one again. It's a very small tube and doesn't seem to be lasting well.  I wouldn't say its great value for your money. 

Keep exfoliating ladies, just not with this! : )

xBBx

Wednesday 15 June 2011

Jessica GELeration Nails - The Verdict!

So after two and a half weeks I finally removed my gel nails.  With only one small chip in my thumb nail, they lasted amazingly well.  I could have kept them on longer but the gel had grown out a little too much for my liking.  You can see week by week photos of my gel nails here.

I would recommend gel nails to any bride.  Unlike nail varnish, you don't have to worry about chipping or breaking a nail and you can get the gels done several days before your wedding - one less thing to have to worry about!

Next month I will be conducting the honeymoon test on GELeration to see how it holds up against sun, sea and sand!

I'll also be blogging about how to remove gel nails yourself if you don't feel like paying a salon for the privilege!

xBBx

Tuesday 14 June 2011

Claire Ogden Designs - Handmade Jewellery: WHO TO KNOW - Bridal Beauty UK

A huge thanks to the very lovely Claire from Claire Ogden Designs for featuring Bridal Beauty UK on her blog!

Claire Ogden Designs - Handmade Jewellery: WHO TO KNOW - Bridal Beauty UK: "Meet Victoria, she is the face behind Bridal Beauty UK, she has so many wonderful tips to share with us and I am really loving her blog, w..."

Friday 10 June 2011

Jessica GELeration Nails

Last week I tried out Jessica GELeration soak-off gel polish for the first time and so far I'm loving it!

GELeration is a self-levelling gel designed to be chip, peel, and fade resistant.  It dries in seconds under UV light and lasts approximately three weeks.


Picture courtesy of Jessica Cosmetics

The nails have to be carefully prepared before the gel is applied to ensure it will adhere properly and not lift. After shaping and buffing the nails, the GELeration process begins...
  • CLARIFY - A cleanser is used to clean the natural nail.
  • PREP - A nail primer solution is applied to prepare the nail plate.  It removes excess moisture and balances the pH level. 
  • START - A base coat is then put on to create optimum adhesion whilst allowing nails to keep their flexibility.
  • COLOUR - The gel polish is applied.  GELeration is currently available in 26 colours
  • FINISH - A top coat is used to seal in the GELeration polish and leave a high shine.
  • CLARIFY - A cleanser is wiped over the nails to remove any sticky residue. 

The whole process was surprising quick, taking about 45 minutes.  I put this down to two things...
  1. Having a skilled nail technician.
  2. The gels come ready in bottles, just like nail varnish, so there's no fiddling around with pots of gel and cleaning of brushes.
The best part is that your nails are dry in seconds so you can walk straight out the salon and get on with your day.  I'm always botching my nail varnish as I get restless waiting for it to dry!

Here are my nails with the GELeration in French:


Day One

I'll be posting a photo each week so you can see how they hold up...

xBBx


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UPDATE:

Here are my nails seven days after GELeration was applied.  They have not chipped or lifted at all and are still very glossy.  If you look closely you can see where the gel has started to grow out a little.  I remain impressed!
Day Seven
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UPDATE:

Here are my nails fourteen days after GELeration was applied.  The gels have grown out quite a lot at this point, although my nails do grow very quickly so not everyone will have so much natural nail showing after two weeks. 

Day Fourteen

I have a small chip in my thumb that has resulted in the gel starting to lift a little but it's not very noticeable. 


Up close after fourteen days.  The gel is lifting slightly on my thumb nail.


I'm not sure the gels will last another week and I'm getting the urge to take them off now as I can see a fair bit of natural nail.  We'll see...

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Wednesday 8 June 2011

Travel Goodies Giveaway - Dior, No.7 and Sanctuary Spa Products!

In the spirit of the summer holiday season, I've got some gorgeous travel sized goodies to give away this month!

  • Sanctuary Spa Warming Charcoal Detox Mask
  • Sanctuary Spa Collagen Boosting Mask
  • No.7 Protect and Perfect Day Cream
  • No.7 Protect and Perfect Beauty Serum
  • Dior Capture Totale Skin Boosting Super Serum
  • Dior Capture Ultimate Wrinkle Correction Creme



The Rules:
  • Open to the UK and Ireland
  • You must be over 16
  • Giveaway closes on 24th June, 23:59 GMT
  • There will be one winner who will receive all the goodies
  • Winner will be announced on 25th June
  • To enter, post a comment below telling me:
    • Your favourite holiday product
    • Your email and/or twitter name in case you win!

Extra Entries:
  • Be a public follower of Bridal Beauty UK via Google Friend Connect = 1 entry
  • Subscribe to my blog via email = 1 entry

Good luck!

xBBx