Manicure Monday: Ruffian Manicure

Hello Princesses!

Today I have a really different manicure to show you, a Ruffian manicure! Google tells me that a Ruffian manicure is a spin off of a moon manicure which I can totally see, and I can also see that I didn't do it particularly well!

I used OPI's Strawberry Margarita for the pink base, and ILNP's My Cat Suit for the black holographic colour. I think it would've been a little more successful if the black wasn't a mini polish, because then the brush would be wider and the curve would've been more even ... I think! ^.^

I hope you Princesses like this manicure, have you got any tips for making the perfect Ruffian Manicure?

Blogger Tips: Writing A Good Review

Hello Princesses!

Today I writing the last installment of my Blogger Tips which in which I'm going to be talking about how to write a good review! These are just basic guidelines of my idea of a good review, which is probably going to be different to a lot of other opinions, so you can take some of the things I said and use them and discard things that you don't agree with. I almost always do beauty reviews, so this guideline will be based on beauty reviews!

General Product Reviews

First and foremost, please take good quality pictures of what you're reviewing. When people stumble upon your review randomly from the internet, they are almost always looking for the aesthetic qualities of the product packaging, as well as the colours, coverage, consistency etc of whatever it is that you're reviewing. I am always searching for un popular product reviews, or un popular shade swatches (pale foundation folks, I'm looking at you!) so when I find one solitary review on a product and they have no photos of the product, your review is worthless to me. It sounds harsh, but it's the truth.

Take photos of how the product works. If it's a foundation, we want to see what it looks like on your skin, before and after comparisons are a godsend because we can see the coverage, consistency and colour. If it's a nail polish we want to see what it looks like on the nail. We want to see if that hair serum really truly makes your hair smooth and silky. We are visual creatures and we always want to see how a product works, which is why Youtube reviews is so awesome!

Keep your reviews consistent. I use the Love/Don't Love and Final Thoughts strategy on my blog so that if you want to compare what I thought about foundations you can just scroll down to the end of the post and have a quick recap, because all of my review posts are formulated like that.  Keep the analysis content consistent too, if you always talk about the ingredients of the products, or how many coats of nail polish you need to apply include this on all of your reviews. Consistency helps the reader relate, and understand how this product would work for them.

Beauty Reviews

Product photos. Make sure your product photos are well lit and relatible. If you want to have products behind the photo that you're reviewing that's fine, but please make them look like they're supposed to be together. It's weird seeing a foundation chilling out in front of a box of super tampons and a bottle of shampoo. It just screams "I was prepared and tried super hard!".

Swatch photos. Swatch the products! It's great to see a blush or foundation swatched on a hand or elbow because this is where most of us would test products at the drugstore before we buy them. It's difficult to judge the colour of a foundation or blush when it's already on someone else's face if you don't have the exact same colouring or face shape as them.

Before and After photos. This is one of the deciding factors on products for me. If a blush wears off in an hour I'm probably not going to buy it, the same for if a foundation/BB oxidizes super orange, I'm probably definitely not going to buy it. This is one of the many reasons why people read reviews, so that they can make sure that nothing unexpected is going to happen to them.

Distinctive Features. This product is marketed for oily skin, pale skin, long wear. Make sure your reader knows what you're reviewing and how it relates to them.

Comparisons. Comparisons are great, be it foundation colours, or lipstick dupes. If you can get a couple of comparisons that's just fantastic, say if I was comparing NARS Sheer Glow in Siberia to Missha BB Cream in No.13 a reader may have one of the foundations and decide that the colours were close enough for them to want the other product. Or MAC Saint Germain and Lime Crime Great Pink Planet which are very very similar in colour, but not similar in pricing!

Pro's and Con's of the product. Make sure your readers know why it's good and why it's not so good. I really dislike doing negative/rage reviews, so I choose to list the Love/Don't Love and incorporate the positives and negatives into my review. Don't promote products that are bad or that didn't work for you, it's imoral and could lead to potential embarrassment.  

Skincare Reviews

This one can be super tricky as every ones skin is different! Just make sure to list what the product is supposed to be doing (cleansing, moisturizing, oil controlling etc) and how it worked for you. Having the ingredients list is always amazing and people with allergies will thank you! Honesty is always the best policy, as it is with all reviews!

Store Reviews

Don't bash the stores for things that aren't their fault. Sometimes things get broken in the mail, or they accidentally send you the wrong things, but you have to remember that in some cases (eg, Storenvy or Etsy) these stores are run by one person and sometimes mistakes happen. But be honest with your store reviews, write about what happened without raving about how bad the store is (unless you had super amazing terrible service I guess). Talk about the time it took to send or receive packages, how well it was packaged, if any items were broken, did the store manager send customized notes or are you just part of the many people that order from them?


Above all, be honest in your reviews. Be aware that everyone is different and that everyone has different expectations, be it foundation, lipstick or a store service! Be genuine, be yourself and have fun!

First Impression: LUSH Curly Wurly Shampoo

Hello Princesses!

Today I'm going to be talking about my First Impressions of Lush's Curly Wurly Shampoo! This shampoo is specifically for unruly, curly hair and I have frizzy, wavy hair so this was recommended for me to help tame the frizz!

What Is It?

"Curly hair needs lots of moisturizing, especially those dry, frizzy ends. You’re in luck! Curly Wurly shampoo keeps unruly and out-of-control curls soft, shiny and bouncy. How does it do it? It's packed full of creamed coconut and coconut oil to moisturize dry, frizzy hair, and protein-rich fresh eggs and hand mashed avocado butter to hydrate, add shine and eliminate frizz. Fresh, nutritious ingredients work wonders for frizzy hair. Give it a Wurl!" (1)

I'm so not sure about this product. It definitely does moisturize the hair, but for me personally it moisturizes a little too much and makes my hair look incredibly greasy! It also tends to leave little flakes of coconut on my scalp after rinsing which looks a lot like dandruff which isn't a good look. It also takes a lot of effort to lather and I don't think it did anything for my frizzy hair apart from making it look greasy at the roots.

Just like all of Lush's hair products, this is heavily scented of coconuts, so if you don't like the smell in the tub, don't put it on your hair!

Would I Purchase This Product?

I actually wouldn't purchase this product. I don't feel like it worked very well for me personally, but that doesn't mean it won't work on people who have thick curly curls! I much prefer Lush's BIG Shampoo over the Curly Wurly, so I will stick with what I love! ^.^

Review and Giveaway: Born Pretty Store French Edge Water Decal

(Sponsored)
Hello Princesses!

Today I'm going to be showing you some super cute floral french tip water decals! I'm all about water decals because they make my nail art look super fancy with very little effort (and also because I'm terrible at nail art, just terrible). These decals were kindly sponsored from Born Pretty Store, thank you BPS!

These water decals are called French Edge Nail Art Water Decals Transfer Stickers Camellia Pattern Flower Sticker - B058, but for simplicity let's just call them French Water Decals, because that name is quite long.

The nail decals have a beautiful purple floral pattern that is absolutely perfect for summer! They're longer and wider than my natural nails which is actually a good thing since I have regular to small nails. You can always cut the decals to be shorter or wider, but you can't make them longer or wider for Princesses that have bigger natural nails. 

These decals worked exactly as the should have and were super easy to apply. They lasted really well, but this all depends on which topcoat you apply to how long it lasts. I found that cutting the decals to more or less match my nail length worked the best, because if they were too long the curled up onto the nail after top coating and wrecked the pattern.

I also made a quick video on how to apply these cute french tips!

 I'm also doing a small international giveaway with Born Pretty Store, and I'm giving away some of my favorite nail art products including the ones in this photo! All you need to do is "like" my video, leave a comment, and subscribe to my Youtube channel to enter.  

What I Love

-Super cute

- Easy to apply

- Long lasting

- Well priced ($1.99USD)

What I Don't Love

- Nail shapes are too large for my nails

- Need to be cut down at the tips to avoid curling

Final Thoughts

I really liked these decals! They make my nails look elegant, they were really easy to apply and well priced. I would totally recommend these, and will be purchasing more in different patterns from Born Pretty Store! ^.^ 

If you want to order from Born Pretty Store make sure you use my code "LPP10K31" for an extra 10% off your total!

Manicure Monday: Teenage Dream

Hello Princesses!

OPI's Teenage Dream is perhaps one of the only polishes I will never ever sell. Pink, glittery and everything I could ever ask for, it really is a beautiful polish. 

Pink glitter gradients are pretty typical for me, but pretty nonetheless! I hope you Princesses enjoyed this simple but ultra girly manicure!