*PR samples

 

Hello lovelies,

 

In my New Year's Blogging Resolutions I've set myself to feature more nail care products hence today's post. I've been given the opportunity to review some Glisten & Glow products including the praised HK Girl top coat. Let's have a look at the goodies:

 

Nail & Cuticle Balm in Warm Apple Pie - Warm Apple is very subtle and not overpowering scent which I like very much. The balm feels really nice and smooth but it's quite solid. When I have cold hands I literally can't use it because it won't melt. I'm actually putting the balm on as I'm writing this bit. I warmed up my hands and the balm melts nicely. It feels pleasant but not oily at all. It nicely nourishes the cuticles and I massage it into my fingers up to knuckles as well. I will always prefer any product that I don't have to stick my fingers into but I do enjoy using this balm very much.

 

Each tin contains .50 oz (approx. 14 grams) and there's a list of ingredients on the label in case you want to know them.

 

 

Glis-tics Cuticle Oil in Sangria White Peach - the first thing I've noticed was the yummy peach scent and the roller ball applicator. This is the first nail oil I've ever owned with this type of packaging but I got used to it. You can't use it to moisturise your cuticles after painting your nails but otherwise it is easy and fast to use and you won't put too much of the oil like with pipette or a brush.

 

Each Glis-tics Cuticle Oil contains .37 oz which I think is approx. 11 ml. I would have loved to see a list of ingredients somewhere. The oil feels nice and nourishes well and I'll be using it up for sure.

Glisten & Glow Body Lotion in Bamboo and Green Tea - the body lotion feels very light and absorbs very fast. It isn't heavy and oily which is probably why I didn't find it as nourishing as some body butters. It seems moisturising enough though. I must admit I wasn't testing it for a very long time because I'm not a fan of this scent. Ii like green tea but I think the bamboo completely overpowered it.

 

HK Girl Top Coat - I was very curious about this product because everybody raves about it. By now, when I'm writing this review I'm almost out because it is really good top coat and I've been using it for almost every recent manicure (they're just starting to be publishes, I'm majorly behind). I've been always raving about Seche Vite and I still love it but there are some major advantages with using HK Girl Top Coat. I didn't have any shrinkage of polish and it doesn't get so thick and gloopy like Seche Vite.

 

 

Stuck On Blu! Base Coat - Where to start with this one...It has quite strong funky smell which I don't like but if I won't paint my nails right in front of my face like usually I can deal with that. The formula is water and fast-drying which is good. On the other hand it doesn't have ridge-filling properties that I need (I don't buff my nails as it's not good for them). It reminds me of OPI Natural Nail base coat that I used to use for years and I use this topcoat under glitter nail polish that won't show the faint ridges in my nails.

 

It doesn't say on the bottle how much product you get but it is pretty much the same size bottle as Seche Vite which is 14ml (.5 fl oz).

 

So just to sum up, I'm definitely loving the HK Girl topcoat and Glis-tics Cuticle Oil and I would be happy to recommend it. The Nail & Cuticle Balm is good when my hands are actually warm and I like that I can use it before taking pictures without having shiny and oily fingers. I'm not too crazy about the Stuck On Blu! Base Coat mainly because of the smell and because it doesn't help to cover my nail ridges. Otherwise it's a nice base coat.

 

If you'd like to try any of the Glisten & Glow products, they are available at their official store and at the following e-shops:

 

USA
http://www.llarowe.com/
http://www.color4nails.com/
http://overallbeauty.com/
Singapore
http://meimeisignatures.com/
UK - EU approved formula
http://rainbow-connection.co.uk/
Canada
http://www.nailpolishcanada.com/
Norway - EU approved formula
http://www.norwaynails.com/
Australia
http://femmefatalecosmetics.com.au/
http://celestialcosmetics.com.au/

 

 

Have a lovely day!

*PR samples

 

1. Bliss Kiss Pure Nail Oil is a little miracle I've discovered last year (reviewed here) and I hope I never have to give it up. Good nail oil is essential in my nail care routine and I usually switch between the Bliss Kiss, SpaRitual Cuti-Coctail and Glisten & Glow nail oil.

*I have been informed that a big sale and Get Naked Challenge is starting on Monday the 6th!

 

2. Mont Bleu crystal files - they are extra fine and will last ages and they are my favourite nail files. I use them to finish filing and seal the edges to prevent splitting. Discount code CHRISTMAS works till 5th January and gets you 30% off your order. Code BLOG should work as well.

 

3. OPI Ridge Filler is my go to base coat and has been for two years now. I'm starting to really like Glisten & Glow Stuck on Blu! but I still prefer OPI a bit more.

 

4. Seche Vite Fast Drying Top Coat has been my no.1 top coat for few years now and I'm sure it will be my favourite in 2014 too. My second choice at the moment is Glisten & Glow HK Girl which I'll review soon.

 

5. Alessandro Cream Royal - Royal Jelly & Mango Butter. I've been using this hand mask since spring and love it! I mix a bit with almond oil and massage it thoroughly into my hands. Then I put on cotton gloves and go to sleep only to wake up to silky smooth hands. I bought it at a beauty exhibition and unfortunately I can't find any UK place to buy them atm. There should be some outlets in US available though as Alessandro launched there in 2013.

 

6. A England had a great year and I absolutely loved Burne-Jones Dream collection (reviewed here). The newest Ballerina collection is also beautiful, post coming soon!

 

7. UV glowing manicures and polishes were another big thing I loved last year and I will continue to do them this year too. I love how the manicure completely transforms under black light and I love how bright the nails look. You can see some of my UV glowing manicures here.

 

8. Textured polishes just sprung last year and every brand was doing them. Although my absolute favourite ones were from Zoya for their fine sand-like texture. Zoya Chyna is my no.1 polish for my toes ;) Check out some textured polish swatches here.

 

9. Duochrome & multichromes are my big love and last year was very generous. My absolute favourites were Cygnus Loop, Birefringence and Mutagen from I Love Nail Polish. But you could have seen some other multichrome collections like the ones from KBShimmer and Darling Diva.

 

 

So that's it, those are my 2013 favourites hope you've enjoyed this round up :) I've added links so you can find them easy if you want to.

 

Have a lovely day!