Soap Stories Review

A month or so ago I received a package that made my room smell like a fruity, floral heaven. I have to thank Soap Stories for that - their fragrant, beautiful products had me excited for body and nail care!

The three soaps I received were the Lavender, Patchouli Blood Orange and Grapefruit soaps*, They're cruelty-free, vegan, and contain essential oils. While they all smelled heavenly, my favourite was definitely the grapefruit soap; the scent was fresh, light and perfect for the summer. The patchouli blood orange soap smelled very, very, similar and the lavender one smelled relaxing (as lavender always does). I'll be honest in saying that the formula for the soaps were not my favourite - I found them to be drying on my skin. They were much less than regular bar soap but they did not feel moisturizing to me. The soaps looked rustic and handmade and they were packaged well. They certainly make for beautiful, personal gifts - maybe a part of a gift basket! I do believe they're sold as bricks if you're looking to cut them up for party favours.

I also received the Natural Shine Nail Kit in Coconut* which came with a nail file/buffer, cuticle oil, Oatmeal Coconut Exfoliating Soap and Shea & Coconut Body Butter. These products came in a beautiful book-like package which makes it a lovely gift. The nail file had four sides to it with four steps: file, buff, polish and shine. I really liked this product - it was easy to use, effective and left my nails looking so healthy. I loved that the buffer didn't scrape my nail badly and the shine-r didn't leave my nails looking like they had a clear top coat on. While 15-year-old Nabihah loved shiny nails, 22-year-old Nabihah feels that unpainted, shiny nails look like you've spit on them (my mom's words, not mine). I would recommend this product to everyone, even if you have soft or brittle nails as they're not harsh on them at all. I also loved the cuticle oil: while the oil had a tendency to slip out of the tube, it absorbed so quickly and easily into my cuticles. I was left with well moisturized, non-greasy cuticles and that's a huge plus in my books.

The exfoliating soap was a bit of a disappointment - it didn't exfoliate nearly as well as the sugar scrubs I was used to. It was much more drying than the other soaps I'd gotten and the fact that the exfoliator was ineffective makes it a product I am not likely to purchase. I do love that, like the other soaps, it's vegan and cruelty free. The shape of the soap made it easy to use; using body washes has made me forget how slippery bars of soap can be but I had no trouble at all with this.

The body butter was by far my favourite. It was thick and moisturizing without being greasy which is a hard combination to find. This is definitely a product you can use all year long as it's not too intense for summer. It smelled light and warm and I loved how well it applied. I wish more body butters had this formula - it's perfect for people who hate moisturizing as this is so light while being extremely effective.

Have you ever tried Soap Stories? Which product do you think you'd get? Comment below or tweet me @SundayWardrobe!

Review: Sally Hansen Miracle Gel

The one thing I hate about nail polish is the fact that I'm constantly chipping it and having to reapply. This is a full time job in itself and is one of the reasons I wear nail polish once a month or so. Cue Sally Hansen Miracle Gel ($9.97), the no-light gel polish that I've fallen in love with. It's a two-step process where you apply the colour first and follow with a clear coat of the same brand for shiny, long-lasting nails.

If you've read my other post on the Insta-Dri polish (here), you'll know that I'm a fan of the Sally Hansen polishes. This is by far my favourite formula, hitting the nail(s) on the head(s) of every one of my nail criteria (colour, formula/application, and longevity). The colour is a gorgeous, pale pink that is neutral and definitely goes with most (if not all) skin tones! It's my favourite year-round shade and my go to for weddings/formal events.

It has the same wide, flat brush as the Insta-Dri polishes which I love so dearly. The brush makes for even and fast application, even when using my left hand. As the colour is light, I find that I have to do 2 or 3 coats to really get the colour to show through which I know may annoy some of you but I'm fine with it.

The longevity is an absolute dream. I'm prone to chipping but 2 to 3 coats of this colour followed by 1 application of the topcoat leaves my nails chip-free for a week at least. I will definitely be buying more shades of this polish and encourage you all to try it out!

Have you tried this formula or any other 'no light gel' polishes before? Did you like it?

Review: Sally Hansen Insta-Dri

The red-brown isn't showing up as well as I hoped, unfortunately. But it's a gorgeous colour!

If you follow me on twitter (shameless plug: @SundayWardrobe), you would've recently seen me show some love to Sally Hansen for their Insta-Dri formula. As usual, I'm going to share my review based on a criteria: colour, formula/application, and longevity.

These are two of my favourite winter month colours (Cinna-Snap and Slick Slate). The first is a reddish-brown colour and the latter is a simple grey - both colours look different on the Sally Hansen site than when applied so I'll encourage you to check them out in store (mine were from Wal-Mart but any drugstore would have them). I love that they're bold while being neutral and I've had these bottles for a couple years and I consistently reach for them. There are also many colours in the range, perfect for any month/season.

My formula/application criteria refers to how easy it is to apply and how many coats are needed. It could be because they're dark colours but I find one coat is enough though I do two for good measure. I also LOVE (check it, capitalized and bolded) the brush. It's a wider, flat brush that makes for incredibly easy application and even distribution. *Update: this nail polish doesn't bubble up as it dries (a reader asked) and it does dry within the minute! Great for me as I have the habit of smudging my nail polish because I'm impatient to sit quietly as it dries*

The one complaint I have is longevity; I do find that these polishes chip after a couple days despite a top coat. It could be me as I've only found one formula that doesn't chip on me (I'll do a review of that polish soon). I would love it if these lasted longer as they are so wonderful. 

I will definitely be buying more of these polishes as I just can't get enough of that easy-application and one-coat colour! Have you ever tried out Sally Hansen's Insta-Dri? If so, what were your thoughts? What are your favourite nail polish brands?

Review: OMG NailStrips

Nail strips were unchartered territory for me; I've seen them, I've liked them but I never tried them because I've always been worried I wouldn't be able to apply them correctly and I'd mess it up. Then along came OMG NailStrips which opened my eyes to the wonderful world of nail strips!   

I chose the Geometric Nail Strips* ($7.99) and the Houndstooth Nail Polish Strips* ($7.99) because I preferred monochrome designs as I still wasn't sure how I'd wear it. Firstly, their service was prompt and the order came within a week or two. The company offers free shipping which is always a bonus in my eyes. Their packaging is also simple and effective with no fuss which I love - nothing screams wasteful like styrofoam, tissue paper, bubble wrap and cardboard all for something that couldn't possibly break in the mail! These nail strips aren't terribly expensive, most of them costing $7.99 and the company also offers foil strips for $4.99. There is a wide selection of patterns but, the safe, unadventurous person that I am, would love to see more "plain" strips - though there is definitely something for everyone there! 

There were clear instructions in the back of the packaging and, though they were simple, I got nervous at the thought of messing it up. I didn't - they were so easy to apply and shape to my nail and they looked great! 

I applied a topcoat to it as instructed and I'm happy to show how my nails looked after 7 days: 

While the cheap polish chipped my other nails (I reapplied it every other day), the OMG NailStrips had only a tiny couple chips which weren't noticeable. They claim to last 10 days and, if that's the result after 7, I'm confident their 10 day claim is not bogus. 

I feel like I'm late to jump on the nail strips bandwagon but I'm definitely in love now. It's perfect for vacations where you don't want to constantly worry about your manicure - you just apply the strip, add a topcoat and you're free and fabulous for 10 days. 

Have you tried any nail strips before? If so, what were your favourite brands? Comment below or tweet me @SundayWardrobe!