Mehndi for Your Nails Using Simple Nail Art Techniques

Mehndi Inspired Nail Art Tutorial

I am going to share with you a new nail art design that I tried. This is pretty simple stuff, just a mehndi inspired design with twirls and turns. You will just need orange and black nail polishes and a clear top coat. I added some glitter too to make some more dimension to this simple design.

What I used?

1. Coloressence nail polish Crimson Orange

2. Elle 18 Black nail polish

3. Coloressence glitter polish moonlight

4. Lakme Clear Glass transparent top coat

These are the items that are available locally in my area. You can choose any nail polishes in the above colours.

Step 1:

Paint your nails with an orange color. Put enough coats that the color appears completely opaque. Let it dry completely and then only move to the next step.

Step two:

Using a brush with a thin pointy tip draw the first twirl. Use black nail colour for this.  You can use nail art brushes if you have them. Painting brushes with thin tips are also a good alternative. You can also clean the applicators from old eyeliners and use them. They make a fine choice.

Step 3:

Continue on drawing the coils in a branched pattern till the whole nails are covered. Wait till the pattern dries completely and apply the clear top coat.

Step 4:

If you need some more drama to the whole look add some glitter. I used Moonlight by Coloressence which is a shimmery polish with gold and silver glitters. Using this colour I created outlines for some black twirls.

The new August Vellvette Box (Vellvette Bag!!!)

Black Box Replaced by the Black Bag

It was quite a long and tiring day for me, but this surprise waited for me today evening. The August Vellvette Box with all its surprise elements intact. This is the first time that I am getting my box this early. Usually I get it on the starting of the commencing month. By that time I would have gone through hundreds of blog posts telling about the contents they received and all the surprise element would have gone. But this time it was different. I got the box early enough and while I didn’t have the least idea of what I was about to get. This is awesome.
 

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A Black Bag

When I saw the parcel form Bluedart from Vellvette I was somewhat sure that it was a bag, because the package was quite flat. I was expecting the pink( Similar to June Vellvette bag) one, but there was a black bag with gold lettering. Even though the same color combination of the box the bag was a lot cuter. I also feel that the bag is quite useful compared to the box. It makes an effective utility and makeup storage and it quite useful during my travels.  Most of my Vellvette Box'es was damaged too but the bag stays put through all the hurdles of shipment. 

Now let me take you through what I got inside the August Vellvette Box/bag.

This month’s theme is “Ticket To Hollywood”. According to the Vellvette crew they are packing a blockbuster that will unleash the celeb in you.  I got 3 super cute items.

1.       H2O+ Face Oasis Shine Neutralizing Gel

2.       Sally Hensen Lip Plumper In Sheer Cherry

3.       Brocato Curl Calming Balm

H2O+ Face Oasis Shine Neutralizing Gel

Even though just a sample of 8ml/.27u.S Flo z, this is definitely a treat. I have extreme oily skin and from the reviews online I hear that this stuff works magic.  I gives you oil free marine hydration and the idea seems overwhelming. According to the company, the marine algae in this gel naturally absorb the excess oil and deliver water light moisture and the micronized silica in it minimizes the pores and refines the skin texture. It also mattifies the skin and reduces the surface shine. It delivers continuous moisture to the skin without any oils.

The main ingredients are,

Micronized Silica: This finely ground mineral, found frequently in quartz and other aggregate rocks, helps minimize the look of pores, visibly refine skin’s texture and diminish surface shine.

Phospholipids: Cellular compatible microspheres that deliver active ingredients within the epidermal layers while helping to improve skin texture and making it healthy and balanced            

Oil-Controlling Marine Blend: A dynamic composition of algae that neutralizes oil prone skin while delivering essential moisture.

 Dulse: Reddish-purple leaves that sprawl along the north Atlantic coast; naturally hydrates the skin while absorbing excess surface oil

 Gigartina: Red fan-like spores that thrive in brisk marine waters near Ireland and Scotland; rich in trace minerals known to help to regulate oil production

Neptune Kelp: Golden brown algae that form towering deep-sea canopies near New Zealand; helps decrease skin’s oil output by calming overactive sebaceous glands

It is a high end product and costs 2000 Rs for a 50g jar. I was on the lookout for such a moisturizer and would have definitely liked to get my hands on a sample before being the full sized one. The gel is light greem and the smell is quite pleasant but after you put it on I feel that it is not quite refreshing or so.  It is light and get absorbed into the skin fast without leaving any oiliness or a sticky film behind. Even though It hydrates the skin well didn’t see any notable difference on it after one use.

Brocato Curl Calming Balm

It is a hair calming balm and will be quite useful for persons with thick, curly hair. A small amount of this cream turns coarse, frizzy curls into soft, smooth spirals. It is made with Brocato’s Curlscience Ingredient Complex and the company claims that this formula provides perfect balance of moisture to leave your locks feeling super soft, shiny and frizz-free in even the most hot and humid climates. This formula has a low-viscosity composition that allows the product to spread easily and evenly throughout the hair for a perfect, even distribution of product. Curlscience has been proven to provide 20% better curl retention than other competing products.

Ingredients:

water, propylene glycol, cyclomethicone, phenyl trimethicone, hexylene glycol, c13-14 isoparaffin, laureth-7, polyacrylamide, dimethicone, dimethiconol, polyurethane-14, amp-acrylates copolymer, diazolidinyl urea, methylparaben, propylparaben, fragrance.

It is sulfate free, protein free, glycerin free which is great for your hair.

But I am not a great fan of this product. I have slightly wavy hair and I prefer it that way. In addition to this I received 2 products form Brocatto Curlinturupted series as a part of my May Vellvette Box(Brocato Curlinterrupted Smoothing & Hydrating Treatment Kit). I have already used them trice and they do not have any beneficial effects for my hair. In addition to this they dried out my hair too much. I will definitely be using this product to look whether this one gives any good results.  In addition to this it is a leave in product and I am not a fan of leave in hair products. If you have frizzy curly hair this may work well for you.

The product is a colorless gel with the same smell as Brocato Curlinterrupted Smoothing & Hydrating Treatment Kit. The smell is a little bit overpowering for me. The cost of the full sized product is 1275/- for 175 ml. What I got is a trial sample of 25 ml that costs about 375 INR. I think the sample will last 3-4 uses but I can’t tell without using as sometimes you might need a lot of product for getting good results.

And the star of the show,

Sally Hensen Lip Plumper 

It is a lip plumper with hydro collagen complex and an intense formula that increases the size of the lips and gives an Angelina Jolie pout. The company claims that the product gives you ultimate lip boosting results. It has plumping hydro-collagen complex and micro-spheres of marine collagen and hyaluronic acid capture. It also has cinnamon and ginger extracts which is aid to increase lip color and make them pinker and fuller. Peppermint provides lips with a cooling and stimulating sensation.

Ingredients

Polybutene, Octyldodecanol, Triisostearyl Citrate, Flavor, Pentaerythrityl Tetraisostearate, Silica Dimethyl Silylate, Butylene Glycol, Sodium Chondroitin Sulfate, Atelocollagen, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Caprylyl Glycol, Hexylene Glycol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Tocopheryl Nicotinate, Cinnamomum Zeylanicum Bark Oil, Zingiber Officinale (Ginger) Root Oil, Tribehenin, Sorbitan Isostearate, Palmitoyl Oligopeptide, Capsicum Frutescens Resin, Phenoxyethanol, Methylparaben, Ethylparaben, Propylparaben, Butylparaben, Isobutylparaben.

I got the color sheer cherry. It is a dark pink shade with tiny gold shimmer. The color is nice and extremely wearable. It has a brush applicator and hence is more hygienic. The product smells strongly of cinnamon (It makes me remember the cinnamon oil that is used as a remedy for tooth ache). It has a mild tingling sensation when applied on the lips which lasts for about30 seconds. I didn’t notice any significant plumping but it definitely makes the lips fuller and more defined. Like the Sally Hansen Radiant Hands Nails and Cuticles Crème which I received last month this is also a good one. Read review here

The product cost is 775INR for 6ml and I got the full sized product with the Vellvette box.

In short the August Vellvette box was a good bargain. I am particularly pleased with the lip gloss since I heard a lot of good reviews on the internet about it.

Sally Hansen Radiant Hands Nails and Cuticles Crème Review

Plus The Story of A Delayed July Vellvette Box

I got the Sally Hansen Radiant Hands Nails and Cuticles Crème as a part of the July Vellvette box.  To say the truth, I was quite confused if I would get this month’s Velvette box. I had ordered for a three month subscription in June and it comprised of the June, July and August Velevette boxes. I received the June box on 27^th of the month and was quite happy with the prompt delivery. But I was waiting and waiting for the July Box and there was no sign of it. Not even a “your box has been despatched” email from Vellvette. I logged on to my velvette.com account and saw that there were no order details in it. Frustrated I sent an Email to them and a day after that I received their reply which said that my box has been sent via BlueDart (Pheew….What a relief!!)

Enough of the blabber…Here is what I think about the Sally Hansen Radiant Hands Nails and Cuticles Crème.

 The hand cream came packed in a bubble wrap and was quite undamaged.  The retail price is 775 INR for 99.5 grams or 3.5 oz. ( I got it inside the Velvette goodie box along with 3 other beauty products at 399 Rs. Quite a Bargain…hah).  The packet says

“Radiant hands nails and cuticles crème with vitamins A,E,C, Grape seed oil and chamomile. Softens hands, smoothes cuticles and strengthens nails. Non sticky and non-greasy”.

Grape seed oil

 Grape seed oil is made from seeds of disposed grapes after wine preparation. It has been used long back for curing skin diseases and it has astringent properties which can tighten your skin. It can add a glow to your skin and even works as a sunscreen. Chamomile contains essential oils that that benefit your skin. They are also known for soothing skin rashes, eczema and acne, minor burns and sunburn. It is also good in healing and prevention of bacterial infection.  Talk about the best skin food.

Chamomile Flower

The cream is pale white in colour with a thick consistency. It feels quite soft and blends with a silky texture in your hands. It has a faint fragrance, with some citrusy base notes.  The only problem is that it takes a while to be absorbed to the skin. I washed my hands a couple hours after applying the cream and I could still feel the greasiness on the skin. One benefit of this crème is that it can be used on our legs also to get a moisturized effect.

The Sally Hansen Radiant Hands Nails and Cuticles Crème boast that it strengthens nails too. I have quite strong nails on my hands. Let us see what it does for the nails on my feet. They sometimes break off. I have been using the nail crème for a week now and still I have not seen any significant improvement on the nail strength. However my hands do feel soft and moisturized after applying the crème.

Will I repurchase it?

No, unless I really see a significant improvement on my nail strength. Furthermore it is a quite large tube and I feel it will last me forever. I do not believe in investing 765 INR for a hand cream. I’d rather stick with a moisturizer.

But if you are on the lookout for a specialized hand cream with herbal ingredients you can choose it. Comes from a renowned brand. So has to have some benefits.

Dreams and Creations…….

Dreams and Creations……. Even though different, I  feel both of them are intricately related. Just like flowers and perfumes…Sugar and candy…spice and puddings….One ought to get motivated by the other..

I have been thinking about creating a blog for quite a time…..A random blabber one…In which I can write about anything under the sun….The only problem that I faced was getting a name for it…I wanted something girly but not those names that are overly CUTEEE…I think I nailed it right.

Dreams are a part of every human life. We all dream a lot ( but most often do not admit it). While asleep, awake, walking , eating, in a shower, in a bus…They have always fascinated me…Just how everything is possible in that world…The funny thing is most of the time we are not aware that what we are doing is dreaming.

In my opinion Dream is the first step of a creative process. We can call it imagination, but once we think of it both are the same right. Just like a child in mother’s womb our creativity is nourished and grown by our dreams. We mould a look or image in our mind and when we translate it physically it is called a creation. Right?

In this blog, I would like to share with you my hopes, aspirations, creations, style, art, fashion and even cooking. Anything and everything that I feel like sharing…Hope you will enjoy it..

Dream It...Wish It...Do It.....!!!!!!!