Lustrous Lacquer: Nail Care

Showing posts with label Nail Care. Show all posts

Thursday, August 2, 2018

Baroness X - Whipped Sugar Soap

Today I'm taking a break from my usual polish related post to bring you something a bit different. I'm sure many of us purchase other products from the indie companies that we love, but those products don't always make it to our blogs. I've picked up so many lotions, bath bombs and cuticles oils it's hard to keep track. But today's post isn't about one of those products, today I want to talk to you about soap, and not just any soap. A soap that not only cleans your hands but also helps exfoliate and moisturize them. Sounds too good to be true right? Not when you use a whipped sugar soap from Baroness X!

I was fortunate enough to pick up a container of this soap when there were extras available from the Cats in Space box from March 2018. The scent is Cherry Almond and smells heavenly.

This soap has a creamy texture with just a hint of the rough sugar. It feels smooth when I used it but did a great job at exfoliation. The scent is quite strong in the container but leaves just a hint on my hands after using it.

I found that a little goes a long way with this product. A small finger scoop is all you need to leave your hands feeling clean, soft and hydrated.

While the Cherry Almond scent is no longer available there are several others to choose from: Lemon Souffle, (I have this in lotion form and absolutely love it!)

Pistachio Macaron

Blood Orange Goji (I have this in lotion too)

Sakura Matsuri

Watermelon Lemonade

Saltwater

Like I mentioned above, I picked mine up as an extra from a box so my container is only 2.7 oz. The sizes available for purchase are 5.5 oz for $6.50 and 10 oz for $11. Be sure to check out the Baroness X website for availability.

What is your current favorite non-nail polish product from an Indie polish company? Do you like reading posts about these products? Let me know in the comments. Thanks for stopping by and Happy Polishing!

Monday, May 8, 2017

Lustrous Lacquer 6:00 AM Simply Pure

Simply Pure Cuticle Oil

*Affiliate Link*

For some reason in the middle of March, I got the wild hair to try doing builder gel nails on myself. March 15th to be exact. For the life of me I can not remember why I wanted to do this but at the time I thought it was the best idea ever and had to do it right away. Now let's not forget I am not a licensed nail tech and have no formal training. I just watched a few YouTube videos and made my sad attempt. And as a side note: Just because you see it done on YouTube does not mean you should try it at home. Consider that my little PSA for the day.

Also, I need to add that while I am an affiliate for Bliss Kiss nail products their affiliate program is on hold until further notice as of April 28th, 2017. I will not make a commission off of any sales during this time but wanted to add the affiliate link to my post in the event that the program gets reinstated.

I have to say I was pretty proud of myself for doing a semi-decent job but regretted putting them on almost immediately. I felt like I had flippers on the ends of my fingers and I just knew that my natural nails would be trashed once I took them off. Which I decided to do about 2 weeks later on March 31st.

Ouch!!!! I knew my nails would not be in good shape after removal but what I saw made me want to cry. Just look at that mess, not to mention they were thin and brittle too. How was I supposed to be able to blog about nail polish when my nails looked like this!

After staring at my nails for 20 minutes, on the verge of tears, the entire time inspiration struck. I could do a thorough testing of my simply pure cuticle oil. After all if Simply Pure couldn't save this hot mess nothing could.

I decided that I'd had the gel nails for two weeks so I would test for two weeks. I applied the oil in the morning before work and at night before going to bed. The only other products I applied to my hands during testing was some St. Ives Lotion. I tend to use hand sanitizer at least a dozen times a day at work and my hands tend to suffer from it. I did try to only apply the lotion to my actual hands and not rub it in around my cuticles like I normally would, but old habits are hard to break.

After 2 weeks (April 14th) these are my results. Now keep in mind that I didn't do anything but apply the oil. There was no cuticle removal, nail painting or filing. And I'll warn you if you're expecting a miracle that's not exactly what happened, but I think you'll still be impressed with the results.

You can see that my nails and cuticles are still in rough shape. But would you look at that nail growth! And the nails themselves while still being on the thin side look healthier. 2 weeks after finishing my experiment I closed on my new house and started the moving process. Sadly my nails are no longer this long. All the packing and moving did a number on them because they were still thin and a bit brittle at the tips. I can't imagine what the would look like if I hadn't been applying the oil to them so religiously beforehand. Once all the moving is done and the last few boxes out away I will do my full nail care routine but until then I'll still be applying Simply Pure twice a day. Thanks for stopping by and Happy Polishing!

Wednesday, January 20, 2016

Lustrous Lacquer 6:00 AM Product Review

Aveniro - Glass Nail Files

*Press Sample*

Good morning everyone! I've got a different kind of post for you today. Instead of focusing on nail polish or nail are, we are going to take a look at some tools you can use to prep for the perfect manicure. The folks over at Aveniro generously sent me 3 nail/foot files to review. But first let's get into a little background of this company.

Aveniro Ltd. is a unique glass nail files producer from the Czech Republic. Since these glass files are made of the Bohemian crystals, they are renown for their unlimited lifespan, efficency, simple maintenance and positive effect on the health of your nails.

There are several benefits to using a glass file. They don't tend to split your nails. They don't wear out as easily and other files, they can be washed with warm soapy water. They are also extremely efficient, meaning it doesn't take too many swipes across your nail to shorten it. There is one major downfall though, glass files are fragile and can break easily if dropped. Thankfully that hasn't happened to me yet!

As you can see each file comes with it's own pouch to store it in, which makes keeping them from getting banged up much easier. There are also several styles to choose form as far as the decorative handles go. After looking at the website it was hard to pick a favorite, and I wanted them all.

First up is the manicure file. Type L42 with is 195 mm long, with a 4 mm thickness. This glass file is meant for manicures, but can be used for pedicures. The decorations are an orange color with a 3D sticker. The surface of the sticker is made to ensure that the file will not slide between your fingers and is easier to hold. There is the option on the website to design your own 3D sticker with a logo or favorite image.

These files are double sided, thin and the filing surface is etched into the surface of the file for longer use. All around I thought this was a very high quality file. It was easy to use, was smooth across my nail, and cleaned up nicely.

Next up are the foot files. I was sent 2 of these to review. One regular size, and a travel size.

You will notice that these files are wider and shorter than the manicure file. They also have a slightly rougher surface on one side than the manicure file.

Type XL62r - 165mm long with a 6mm thickness. This is referred to as the large foot scraper.

Type L62r - 135 mm long with a 6mm thickness. L62r is referredd to as the small foot scraper. A smaller version of the XL62r, recommended especially for traveling. I have not actually used this one yet, but I am assuming it worked just a s well as the full sized version.

"The foot file is gentle and safe. In comparison with other pedicure tools you take no risks of injuries while using our foot files. Skin does not tear after its usage but becomes soft and tempting to touch. Moreover our glass rasp is produced in DUO variant, i.e. with two different roughnesses on one file. The coarser side removes fast and effectively calloused skin and the smoother side serves to neatening of skin."

I have to admit I was a little skeptical at first with these. I'm particularly hard on my feet. I'm standing or walking for most of my day and if I can get away with being barefoot I will. No matter how many pedicures I get, or how much lotion I put on my heels are always rough. Let me tell you these really work! No they aren't a miracle cure but my feet felt smoother for longer than with traditional files. And I have a feeling if I keep using them, come summer time I am going to have the softest feet to show off in my sandals.

As of right now these files are not available for single purchase, only wholesale but if that changes I will let you know. Thanks for stopping by and Happy Polishing!