Guest Post Time! - Gnarly Gnails

Hello lovelies!

I had the privilege to guest post for the amazing Missy of Gnarly Gnails, while she was undergoing some intensive nail care treatment. In this post, I will show you how to create the effect of L'Oréal Nail Art Stickers "Confetti" without having to spend 10 euros on them!

Click the pic!

xoxoxo

Captain

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Nail Art with "Made By Me" studs from Action + review.

Hello lovelies!

Today I have a budget alternative to the amazing studs from Born Pretty Store. I found them for 2 euros at Action's. The might not be as nice, but they do the trick! They come in different sizes and are not actually meant for nails, but they work perfectly fine. The size you want to go for is SS6, as seen on the lower right corner of the package:

As you can see, they come in 3 different colours: gold, silver and bronze. There are stars, squares and tiny round rhinestone-shaped pieces in there. Unfortunately the tiny gold studs are a much more yellow gold than the bigger gold studs, so you can't really use them in a mani together. But hey, 2 euros... So this is a mani I did with some silver studs:

It is loosely based on a design by Cutepolish. I tried to get indentations like her on my ring finger, but for some reason, I failed miserably. Still really love the bad-ass look of the studded nail. The rest is not my greatest creation either; My hands were really shaky. But the studded nail is just really cool ;-) The base colour for this mani is Hunkemoller "Vintage Pink" and the black is my  black striper from Etos and NYC "City Blackout". Everything is topped off with Hema Matte Top Coat.

Placing the studs is easy: I just put a dot of top coat on my nail and then picked up a stud with my dotting tool and placed it in the blob of top coat. Easy peasy! They stick perfectly fine.

What do you think?

xoxoxo 

Captain

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Essence Stay Matt "Smooth Berry" - Swatch & Review

Hey beauties!

Here a quick review of another matt lip cream from essence: Smooth Berry. I loved Silky Red so much that I had to try this one out as well! It is very eye-catching, see for yourself:

I love it. The colour is perfect for summer! Application is easy, and it stays on the lips for hours. I did not care much for the sweet scent, but I know lots of you will love it. And you get used to it if you don't ;) It is such a nice way to follow the trend for very little money! Here in Holland it retails for 1.99 euros. There are also two nude ones, that I'm not sure will look good on me, but if nude is your thing then they are definitely worth trying out!

xoxoxo

Captain

Review: Essence Studio Nails Extra Moisturizing Nail Balm

Hello there! 

Today I have for you a very nice and cheap way to moisturize your nails: Essence Studio Nails Extra Moisturizing Nail Balm. Here it retails for 2 euros. It might seem like a tiny little tube of product, but since you only need very small amounts per treatment, it will last very long.

The balm contains Pro-Vitamine B5 and has a nice scent. It is very nourishing for both the nails and the cuticles. Apply tiny amounts on the nail and rub it in. Add some extra to the cuticles. It's absorbed within a few minutes (if there is some residue, just rub some more and it will be absorbed) and leaves the nails nice and healthy looking:

See how ugly my nails are? But repeatedly treating them with this does make them stronger and more flexible (so less prone to ripping and tearing). I've been using this (and these other nail products) for a couple of months and it really does make a difference!

xoxoxo

Captain

Outrageous Hair Tips

So we often get some questions about hair tips; 
Here are some other crazy things you can do, with stuff you can find at home, for some healthy and strong hair!

• Olive Oil

Ok, so this has been done a lot before. But yet it is the easiest, and least smelly ;) All you have to do is, grab some olive oil, starting from the tips of your hair and spread it towards your head. And you don't really need any on your roots, because you already have (usually) enough natural hair oil coming from your scalp. Tie it up, or wrap it up, whatever you like as long as it doesn't get in your face and make you all oily, and let it sit for as long as you like. If you've got time, 1~2 hours, but if not, 30min or so will be good too! When you are done, wash it out, dry it, and enjoy the extra silky shine!!

• Vinegar

Smelly shit. BUT it will clean out the pores of your scalp, squeaky clean!! And for sensitive skin/hair type, its one of the milder chemicals which your body will most likely be able to handle. Grab an empty water bottle, and pour in vinegar to water at 1:5 ratio. Mix it, and put a little bit at a time onto the top of your head while massaging it into your scalp with your fingertips. Any product residue or shampoo/conditioner remains, icky dead skin cells and dust, ALL of these will be cleansed out of your scalp! When this part is done, just wash it all out, (wash it REALLY GOOD, you won't get the smell completely out, but rinse as best as you can for minimal smell) and conditioner it as usual. If preferred, you can also shampoo ;) If the smell still bothers you after all of this, and drying it after you get out of the shower, then try spraying some kind of fragrance in your hair. This vinegar stuff is also good for guys who wear hair product every day. But guy OR girl, this is recommended once per month (or every other week if you prefer), to keep your scalp fresh and clean :D

Apple vinegar is best, but cheap regular white vinegar is also fine.

(* Do beware though, if you have any artificial colouring, or stuff non-permanent in your hair, the vinegar will also rinse that out too! So caution!)

•  Mayonnaise 

Ewwwwww, I know right?

But hey, its got a nice fatty texture, with lots of nutrients (a bit too much for some albeit), and very thick.... it's actually EXCELLENT stuff for restoring damaged hair! Just grab a jar, dab a bit onto your hair-tips, and gradually spreading it upwards. You really only need it for the super damaged areas, so no need for any on the top part of your head. Wrap it up/tie it up, and let it sit for, say, 20 mins or so? then RINSE THE HELL OUT OF YOUR HAIR. aaaaaaaaand it's good to go :)

Shampoo it if you like, conditioner it if you like, but DO notice, the mysterious extra treatment your hair's gotten.... ;)

• Lemons, or Chamomile tea

Ever wanted to get a brighter-ish glow to your hair? Or maybe just a shade bit lighter? But not want to damage it, with harsh chemicals or weird temporary dyes? Weeeeelllll, here's a SUPER CHEAP option: freshly squeezed lemons, or, chamomile tea!

Just soak your hair in some lemon juice (1~2 lemons should be fine) for a while (15~30mins?) and try it a couple times a month to let it gradually let your hair become lighter. Likewise for chamomile tea, it doesn't matter if its just from a regular teabag you get at a supermarket, just brew yourself some strong chamomile tea, cool it down first!! and then soak it into your hair ;) After that, same instructions as the lemons.

• Mouth wash, or Salt

Have any dandruff problems? Try washing your hair with some of that mouth wash you have on your counter top! Just a few cups onto your scalp, leather it in real good, enjoy that freshy smell/feeling, and rinse it off!! Another possible option is salt, especially if you've got oily dandruff. Sprinkle some of that twinkle onto your hand, and massage it in to your pre-wet hair. If you are lucky enough to be living near the ocean, go for a dunk in there! Nothing will beat sea water with all its minerals and good stuff. But remember this: they key to dandruff free hair is RINSING SUPER WELL, and then DRYING your hair RIGHT AFTER you get out of the shower. And enjoy some of these off the counter tips, while you're at it ;)

So there you've got it! Some cheap and easy tips to help your hair be fine and shine :)

Over and out!

xoxoxo Lieutenant