Hello lovelies,

I'm trying to participate in the ABC Nail Art challenge every week and even though I'm a day late, here's my manicure for the letter J! It is inspired by Japanese-style nail art and I've also used a Japanese gel - Bella Forma (now re-branded to VETRO I think). I wore this gel manicure for two weeks while I went on my New York holiday and to the Scratch Stars Awards and it hold brilliantly!

Products used:

Bella Forma JAPAN Base Clear PRO

Bella Forma JAPAN Top Clear

Bella Forma JAPAN 23 Mat white

Bella Forma JAPAN 211 Almond beige

Bella Forma JAPAN 141 Enamel shock

Bella Forma JAPAN 21 Tsubaki

IBD Gel Bonder

UberChic Magic Dust Egyptian Sunset

Gold triangle studs

Dotting tool

Gel brushes (use LUHH10 for 10% OFF)

I've combined plain nails with pink shimmer using UberChic Magic Dust and gold triangle studs and accent nails with nail art. The Magic Dust was really fine powder (it got everywhere!) that was easy to work with - I just burnished it into the sticky layer after I cured the gel. The nail art is kind of like a dry brush except I've done it with uncured gel so that the colours would blend a little. Then I added white lines and couple of dots. over the pattern.

I really enjoyed wearing this manicure and it was such a change to have rounded nails like this. Looking back at the photos - I'm actually really liking the round nails. right now I have them filed into a point, an almond shape but I'm not that 100% sure about it. Damn, this is hard decision :D :D What do you guys think?

The rings are from Born Pretty Store, necklace from Primark. Don't forget to check out the other manicures from ladies who participate in this challenge and have a lovely day!

Hello lovelies,

Today's review has been over 6 months in the making and after all this time I'm ready to tell you what I think about SpaRitual Cuti-Clean Cuticle & Stain Remover. I got a bottle of Cuti-Clean gifted by the Czech SpaRitual distributors last November when I visited their salon in Brno for a chat and a SpaRitual pedicure. I wasn't obligated to write about the product but it ended up being my go-to cuticle remover for the past 6 months and I like to show you products that I like.

About

SpaRitual Cuti-Clean Cuticle & Stain Remover softens the cuticles and removes stains and dead tissue. It works great for pedicures as well and it is vegan, free of synthetic dyes, fragrances, preservatives, parabens, petrochemicals and is biodegradable.

Directions

Shake or roll before using. Apply to cuticles and gently push them back with an orangewood stick or cuticle pusher. To remove stains, saturate cotton and dab area until stain disappears. Do not leave on nails for more than 5 minutes as it can soften nails too much. Wash off with warm water straight after. CAUTION: Do not use on sensitive skin and very thin nails.

I usually put a small drop in the middle of my cuticle area (Eponychium) and then spread it around the nail and about a 1 mm onto the nail to cover the dead skin (cuticle) stuck to the nail plate. Cuticle removers are usually very effective and shouldn't stay on nails for long so as soon as I finish putting the product on the last nail (one hand at a time!) I go back to the first nail and start pushing the skin back and removing the cuticles. First I use an orangewood stick or hoof stick and then I go in gently with a metal pusher and make sure the nails are nice and clean. Once the first hand is finished I wash off the remover with warm water and scrub the nails and underneath them with a nail brush. Towel dry and do the other hand ;)

I like to test hand and nail care products for a while, not just once or twice so that I can give you a good feedback on the product. As I've mentioned above, SpaRitual Cuti-Clean has become my go-to cuticle remover since I got it. It comes in a 15ml frosted glass bottle (yes please!) with a glass dropper for easy and precise application. The product itself has gel-like consistency which has to be spread around the nails but on the other hand it stays where you put it and doesn't drip off the nail like liquid removers.

Does it work?

Yes, it does. I found it to be working very fast and effective. It dissolves the dead skin well and it also removes light staining where it's been applied. The cuticle removing is much more effective than the stain removing part. It seems to be working to some degree - light staining is removed easily but bright pink or blue/green staining is only lightened, not removed completely. So all in all, I really like this cuticle remover because it works great for me.

SpaRitual Cuti-Clean is available at Sparitual UK, SpaRitual US and SpaRitual Czech Republic.

Have a lovely day! Lucie x