Hi Divas

Before this year comes to a screeching halt, I want to share some of my nail art designs with you. These were done from late 2018 to 2019. I have done many designs in this time frame, but these are the ones I love the most. To see all my nail designs you can follow me on Instagram here. As I mentioned before, nail art is a wonderful way of expressing my creativity and challenging myself. There are still so many designs I want to do and nail art techniques I want to achieve. It takes a lot of time, patience and dedication to create pieces of art for your fingertips. I am slowly but surely getting there. As you can see below, I love colour and am not afraid to wear it. If you are afraid of colour and want to be bold, nail polish is a great way of achieving this. I find that nail art is so much more than just a pretty manicure. It truly represents your personality and mood for that period in time. I hope you find inspiration from my designs and let me know what look you love the most in the comment section below. ;)


Christmas Sparkle Nails
I wanted to step away from the traditional Christmas nail designs consisting of red and green. My goal was to have soft festive nails with a touch of angelic sparkles. I decided to use pastel purple and pure crisp white to achieve this. For the purple polish I used Sorbet in Berry Special and Wet n Wild in French White Creme. To top it off I added jolly stickers and purple rhinestones for extra sparkles. I loved this design as it was playful, angelic but still captured the Christmas spirit.

Summer Tie-Dye Nails
When I was painting this nail design, I honestly didn't expect the great response for it on my Instagram. Everyone was in love with this manicure. It is funny how you are busy creating something and it looks so mundane and foolish at first. Then, once everything comes together, you can finally see the beauty taking shape. This is exactly how I felt when creating this pattern. The Tye Dye was really easy to do too. I used three bright nail colours in #11 and #70 by Etude House and Walking on Sunshine by Tip Top (discontinued), and Wet n Wild French White Creme for the middle finger. I randomly brushed colours on my nails in tie-dye shaped patterns. The important part is to not make it look stylized or well placed. It needs to look a little messy and random the way tie-dye naturally looks. The results came out better than I expected. I added green and gold rhinestones along with stickers for a diva signature look.

Soda Orange Pop Nails
My inspiration for this design was actually the fact that I hadn't worn bright orange nails in a long time, and I noticed my nail polish was getting old. I honestly hate wasting and will use something till the last drop. I decided to show my neglected nail polishes some love and the shade Salsa Pop by Tip Top was one of them. This brand is discontinued but you can use any bright orange nail varnish for the look. I used my trusty Wet n Wild French White Creme for the ring finger and added gold stickers along with silver shapes for the ring finger.

Oriental Pink Birthday Nails
For my birthday I wanted to use my favourite colour pink of cause and a whole lot of shimmer. My inspiration was oriental embroidery along with ancient royal jewellry. The mood was pure regal opulence inspired by the East. I love the contrast of two different shades on one nail as well. The illusion is amazing and looks very elegant. The gorgeous bright pink varnish is Etude House in #11. The white sparkles are iridescent nail glitters which I glued on using a clear nail base. I added diamond rhinestones and stickers for an extra glow.

Purple Marble with Stripes Nails
I have been dabbling in marble techniques for a while now. These are really tricky to do and time consuming. They can sometimes come out really great or be an epic fail. Thankfully I had one good attempt with this design. For the purple base I coated my nails with Essence Purple With Purpose from the Merry Berry collection. To create the marble effect, I used a foil nail polish by Nails Inc in Kings Road. For the index and middle finger, I placed the same purple polish on half my nails and used purple nail strips to create the stripe designs. I topped off the look with rhinestones and cute gold bow stickers.

Fun Pastel Easter Nails
As the Christmas manicure, my desire was to create festive nails but without the traditional Easter eggs and bunny designs. I decided to stick with pastel colours as what is Easter without pastels, right? For my thumb and ring fingers I coated them with Etude House #8 pink lacquer and added gold nail strips to resemble an Easter egg wrapper. My index finger is Wet n Wild French White Creme topped with a yellow feather nail decal to represent the cute Easter chicks. My middle finger is Sorbet Jaded and my pinky finger is Etude House Red Rocks from the Merry Berry collection. I wanted these two nails to be bright and colourful with stars and glitters to resemble Easter chocolate packaging as well.


 *****
For all my nail designs I use the Sally Hansen base coat in Complete Care 7-In-1 and the top coat is Sally Hansen Mega Shine. I have used these two products for years and can highly recommend them to protect your nails and make your manicures last. One thing, I would like to mention is that I do not run after trends and buy every new shade of nail polish on the market. I have lots of nail lacquers from collections past. I sometimes use polishes that are discontinued or may not be readily available. You can use any nail colours of your choice. You don't have to constantly go out and purchase the latest things. Use what you have in your collection and you will be amazed at what you can create. I use Pinterest as a source of inspiration for all my nail art creations. There are so many tutorials and techniques shown there too. You can explore and spur on your creative juices to do your own nail designs with your unique style and touch.


Thank you so much for reading. Hope you found this post helpful
Divalicious Kisses
Xxxx

Diva Desle Festive Nails 2018

Hi Divas

This week I shall be sharing some of my holiday nail art with you. This post should have been done ages ago but there was always something new to review and I kept forgetting to do it. As most of you may know that I am a complete nail art addict. I absolutely love creating different nail designs and challenging myself in the process. When it comes to new ideas I definitely use Pinterest and Instagram as a source of inspiration. I like to find new designs and try to adapt it and make it my own. Nail art is an art form in which I love to express my creativity. I am in no way a qualified nail technician but just a lady having fun. Before this year comes to an end I wanted to share four of my festive manicures with you. Let me know what your favourite design is below.

Christmas Nails December 2017

For this design I wanted something festive yet regal. Kind of like Christmas in a palace feel, LOL. Since I will never be a princess and know what it's like to have a royal Christmas, why not live that through my nail art. I opted for a royal blue and festive red nail polish as the base colours. I mixed Rimmel Salon Pro in Brit Pop with Catrice in Get the Blues for the perfect blue. Essie in Limited Addiction was the perfect red to compliment the blue. Glitter, pearl and gold rhinestones as well as snowflake and a Christmas tree decal all sealed the deal in creating the perfect look. 

Birthday Nails January 2018
This glam look was all I needed to celebrate my birthday in style. I wanted it to be all things diva with an edge. I used two black and gold nail polishes by Tip Top a brand which sadly discontinued their products. I still have full bottles of their nail lacquers and I intend to use them till the last drop. For the glitter overlays I applied Sephora Collection nail polishes in Gold Fever and Fireworks. To achieve perfect geometric angles, I placed nail tape to corner off my shapes. I then painted my nails in black and gold. The trick is to wait for the nails to dry slightly and slowly pull off the nail tape. If you rip it off too early you will smudge the design. If you pull it off too late the polish will dry over the tape and it won't come off. This one takes some practice but it looks amazing when done right. I finished off the manicure with gold rhinestones.

Valentines Day Nails February 2018
Many people have mixed opinions about Valentine's Day. I personally like the idea of having a special day to celebrate love. Even though it can get super cliche and soppy, I view Valentine's Day as a license to be all lovey-dovey. It better be just for that day though. You know you got to cut it out when the clock strikes 12, LOL. My idea for the nail design was romantic, sweet and charming. For my two base colours I used Nails Inc Special Effects in Marylebone Lane for the beautiful glitter red and Wet n Wild in French White Creme for that crisp white. Again, I used a silver nail tape to create duo colour nail effects but left the tape on as part of the design. I drew a heart on my little finger with a dotting tool and applied pearls and stickers. I really liked the way this manicure turned out and definitely want to do something similar again.

Easter Nails April 2018
When it comes to Easter the colours are always playful and fun. For my design I really wanted to play around with as much pastel shades as possible. I was inspired by bunny ear head bands and decided to paint them on my nails too and use pearls as the headband structure. Polishes used are Sorbet Ice is Nice for the blue and Berry Special for the purple and Wet n Wild French White Creme for the white. Etude House Play in #8 for the pretty pink and a Tip Top yellow nail polish which is discontinued. I painted yellow speckled eggs and zigzag Easter egg patterns with a nail art dotting tool. I think it turned out pretty cute.

*****

I really hope you like my designs and get inspired too. Follow me on Instagram @divadesle to see more nail designs. Thank you so much for reading. Lots of love!

Divalicious Kisses
Xxxx

Diva Spring Favourites 2017

Hi Divas

Happy Spring to all my fellow South Africans and everyone living in the Southern Hemisphere. Even though Cape Town hasn't really been playing along with the Spring weather I am still excited and grateful for the season change. The Western Cape has been experiencing a serious drought this year so I shouldn't be frowning when Cape Town has more rain clouds than bright sunny days. I know that we are all praying for rain and stocked up on some water reserves. We already have 30 Litres of water reserved in my house hold and we are planning to purchase some more. Even with the terrible water crisis, it is so wonderful to see so many flowers that have naturally bloomed this year. God is so good! Spring is such a lovely season for me. It gives us new hope and a promise of growth and happiness. I have put together a few of my Spring favourites below. Hope you like them and let me know what your favourites are too.

1. Beautiful Flowers In Bloom: When I think of Spring, pretty flowers definitely comes to my mind. My late grandfather had magical green fingers. He would take any little space in the garden and turn it into an enchanting piece of art. He used to plant all types of seeds in the Winter months and come Spring they would bloom into the most exquisite colours. As children, my sister and I would enjoy playing in the wonderful garden that he created. 

2. Pastel Nail Colours: I know it's a cliche but pastels and Spring really do go well together. Nail polishes are especially flattering in peach and baby pink shades. After the cold months my hands are very dry and my nails are brittle. I like to use this time of the season to moisturise my hands and make my nails healthy again. Pastel shades look beautiful on short or long nails. They are great to wear in those in between lengths when your nails are trying to recover and grow. I love the South African brand Sorbet. They make the prettiest nail polishes with affordable prices.

3. New Adventures: During Winter I hardly want to leave the house. Laying on my bed with a cosy blanket and some hot coffee seems way more appealing than driving endlessly in the rain. Most outdoor activities and places are closed during this time, but come the start of Spring and everyone is open for business. It is such a great feeling. I love seeing how the environment changes just by a little bit of sun peeking through. It is subtle changes but it truly is remarkable.

4. Bright Pink Lipsticks: Big YES, for all things pink and girly. I love my pink lipsticks, rosy blushes and whimsical eye looks. Goodbye to dark eyeshadow and emo trends. Lipstick is a wonderful invention. It completely changes your whole appearance. It can create a specific mood and make you look put together without even trying. Etude House knows how to make a pretty lipstick. From the packaging to the shades, they all scream cute. I have mine in the limited Etoinette collection. You should check them out on Ebay.

5. Feeling The Sun On My Skin: I'm done being a vampire. Although, I would like to glisten like diamonds in the sun as Edward did in Twilight. Staying indoors a lot can really darken your soul and make you feel depressed. As I said above Spring brings a promise of hope and happiness. I find when I am out and about in the warm sun, my soul feels joyful and my mood becomes cheerful. Everyone always looks more radiant and happier in the Spring time. Have you noticed that?

6. Getting Rid Of Winter Fuzz: Honestly, I am tired of being a werewolf. Winter can turn any one into a beast, Hahaha. Come Spring the shedding of excess hair begins. It is a daunting task for any dark-haired girl, but every razor blade burn is worth it. I love using exfoliating scrubs to get rid of all my dull dry Winter skin cells. Have you tried the sugar body scrubs from Bath And Body Works? They are amazing. I have them in peach and guava. They both smell so fresh and fruity.

7. No More Frizzy Hair: Winter can be pretty harsh to us ladies. We spend two hours perfecting our sleek hair, only to be outside for 5 minutes and it's all ruined. The damp hair and gale force winds make our hair look like floor mops sometimes. Hence, we hide it all away under hoodies, beanies, buns, oversized hair bands and more. Thankfully Spring gives us a chance to give some extra love and care to our tresses. We can wear it out with pride while rocking a cute accessory too. We know it won't blow away or get tangled in a mess. Plus, a little ray of Vitamin D can do wonders for your hair growth and over all hair condition.

8. One Word, Food!: I love food through every season. I really don't need any excuse to eat a doughnut or gobble down an ice cream, LOL. I just love that my doughnuts have prettier decorations now and my ice cream has more flavour toppings. YOLO!

9. Wardrobe Change: Lastly, I can finally put all those heavy coats away and show off my newly ''defuzzed'' legs in a pretty bright dress. Even though I am sporting a few extra curves from all the Winter doughnuts I have been eating, I can still flaunt my floral tops and cute pastel shorts with confidence. I am happy remember. The sun is out and flowers are in bloom. I want to look the part too. *wink*

Thank you so much for reading.

Divalicious kisses!

Xxxx

Essie Nail Polish Review:

Limited Addiction and Sew Psyched

Hi Divas

Winter is almost over in South Africa. I have not been wearing a lot of nail polish this chilly season due to my work. There were certain moments where I had to refrain from manicures due to characters I was playing on stage. I missed it so much because I love being experimental in my nail art and expressing my creativity. When I was allowed to paint my nails, I realised I stuck to two main shades; red and green. While looking through my nail varnish collection I realised that I had two Essie nail polishes which I had never used before. In fact I have never used the brand Essie before. Crazy I know, coming from a nail art and nail polish fanatic. Essie is an extremely popular nail lacquer brand and is known to be very reliable and versatile. I of cause was very excited to try out this brand for the first time. Both nail polishes are from a mini collection but are available in a bigger size. I have the shades Limited Addiction and Sew Psyched. These were perfect for the Winter season so I thought I would give it a try.

Essie Limited Addiction
I hardly wear red nail colours as I prefer playful pinks and pastel shades. This gorgeous red truly crept into my heart. I feel like this is the best tone of red I have ever worn. It is classy and sophisticated yet daring. I love that it looks so flattering on my hands. It does not give off a cheap or ditsy look. The colour is a little deeper in tint than in the photo above. It's a beautiful Winter red without being too vampy or dark. One coat of the polish applies quite sheer on the nails. You would need two coats for a full effect. I like the shape of the brush on the bottle. It coats the nails well and does not leave uneven application or streaks. After applying a top coat, the lacquer gives a lovely shine and lasts a really long time with minimal chipping. The polish does not look dull or flat. It's vibrant yet rich and perfect for the Autumn and Winter season. It would look great with any outfit too and can be worn to any occasion. It is very classy and would suite any age group. I definitely recommend it, if you are looking for a classic red.

Essie Sew Psyched
This is the most unique shade of green I have ever come across in a nail polish. Usually army green shades tend to look dirty and like a green swamp on the nails. Thankfully this one does not come across as a repulsive marshy swamp. Instead it gives the most beautiful extraordinary shade of green. It looks very attractive on the hands while not being predictable and boring. This is a type of shade that will surely get noticed in a crowd. I love that it is very versatile too. You can wear it with a classic dress to work or a dinner party. You could also wear it like a rebel to a rock concert with torn jeans and leather boots. This colour is not one dimensional at all and can adapt to your outfit and surroundings. One coat is very opaque and covers the nail well. With two coats you get the full effect of the polish. I love that the shade has a slight sheen to it. It does not have a flat monotone colour. It shimmers slightly in certain angles which gives the lacquer more depth. The lasting power is excellent with a top coat too. I recommend this one to any nail polish lovers out there.

*****
As mentioned above, this is my first time using the Essie brand and I am truly impressed with the quality of the nail polishes. I love the shades that I have worn and will totally purchase more. Let me know below if you have used the Essie brand and what your favourite colours are.

Thank you so much for reading.
Divalicious Kisses!

Xxxx

Hi Divas

 I am so excited to do a blog post today. I have been wanting to blog for a while but I was having Internet problems with my service provider. Thank goodness things are up and running again and I can finally connect to the world wide web. This week I want to share two nail polishes that my mom and I picked up on one of our Sunday shopping trips. We always stop at the Essence stand when we go shopping to see what is new and popping in the cosmetics department. Essence always has great quality and affordable products. I decided to buy a white nail polish as I have ran out of my old one. My mom bought a beautiful pink nail varnish and I of cause had to borrow it for ''research'' purposes, LOL. These polishes are all part of the Essence Gel nail polish family. They have an extensive range of shades and the price is under R50. On to the reviews...




Essence Gel Nail Polish in 08 Whatever!
This is a pearlescent baby pink nail varnish with a slight duochrome finish. It has a purple sheen to it when displayed in the sunlight. The consistency is a lovely balance in that it has a medium thickness. On the first application the colour covers the nail really well and you can see the slight purple duochrome shade shining through as it reflects the light. If you want a sheer application then one coat would be enough for you. I proceeded to apply the second coat but with a much thicker stroke. At this point the polish leaned more to the baby pink spectrum and the duochrome sheen faded slightly. On the third coat the duochrome was hardly visible at all as you can see in the photo above. My manicure looks like a solid baby pink. I love that you can build up the shade to the intensity that you want. You could play around with the polish to create your desired affect. I think this polish is really beautiful on its own. I definitely recommend it if you are looking for a pretty pink girly shade.


Essence Gel Nail Polish in 03 Give Me Nude, Baby!
This is a white nail varnish with tiny gold specks of glitter in it. The specks are so tiny that it gives off a shimmery finish without looking like a chunky glitter mess. The glittery specks can only be seen up close but is not visible on the nail from a far. In the sunlight the nail shines like an iridescent white polish. It looks beautiful and very ethereal. Upon first application the polish is thick in texture, yet it applies really sheer. This nail polish is not opaque at all but leans more to being a nail topper than an actual white base. Since the polish is thick but applies sheer you need quite a few coats to get the desired white effect you see above in the photo. The polish also takes a while to dry since it is gooey in texture. I recommend applying a solid white base first and applying a top coat of this on top. You cannot use this polish to stamp or draw nail designs as it is way too sheer. This is a lovely polish but it is not a necessity to have in your collection. I think it makes a great nail topper though.

*****

Have you tried any of these polishes? What do you think of my manicures and which is your favourite one? Let me know below. Thank you so much for reading!


Divalicious Kisses
Xxxx

Hi Divas!

This week I want to share some of my nail art with you. I love doing my nails and getting creative with my manicures. A lot of my designs don't even make it to Instagram nevertheless this blog. I do all my nail art by trial and error. A lot of the times it's an error. Doing creative manicures as I said before takes a whole lot of patience and a steady hand. It can become frustrating if you trying something that looks perfect in your head but does not translate that well into reality. I want to share four manicures I did recently. I am always looking to try new things and challenging myself. I really want to get my grip on stamping designs. I have the plates and the stamper. I just need to get my hands on the right nail polish. If you have any suggestions please let me know below.

1. Christmas Nails:

Would you believe me if I told you that the nails in the photo on the top left is not even my real nails? I know, right? What a shocker! They look super natural but it is true, they are not my real nails. It was Christmas Eve, I just finished helping my mom with the cooking and I washed and styled my hair. I was dead tired and it was late. I have only used acrylic nails once in my life. I was too tired to stay up late and wait for my nail designs to dry. I decided to apply these acrylic nails which I bought from Clicks and add my own touch to them. Viola! Perfect Christmas Nails in like half and hour. I added the nail stickers and rhinestones for a festive theme. I even fooled my mom. She had no idea that they were not my own nails. I found a new love for acrylic nails that I never knew I had. Plus they last a really long time and are super convenient for when you need to have a manicure in minutes.

2. Valentine's Day 2017 Nails:

This manicure on the top right is definitely my own nails. I chose pink as my main base colour and stuck to black and a touch of silver to glam it up. The part that took the most time and patience was of cause the thumb and pinky finger. Getting two tones of polish on the nail without smudging takes precision. I added silver nail striping tape which I layered across each other twice to give it some extra bling. I will probably try this technique again sometime soon. I used a nail dotting tool to draw on the 'xo' and heart. I painted my nails with Etude House Play Nails in '#8'. For the black Polish I placed 'Black Forest' by Tip Top and for the accent glitter nail I painted it with Wet n Wild in 'I'm With The Band'.

3. Turquoise Stone Marble: 

This was one of the hardest techniques I tried doing. Everybody in every tutorial said this was so easy and a breeze to do. I think not! It took me like 5 attempts to get this right. I had to repaint my nails and remove it so many times that I ran out of cotton pads. LOL! In order for water marble nails to work you have to make sure that the temperature of the water you are using is lukewarm and that the nail polish you are using is not too old. So after my many attempts I finally got it right. I truly love the way it turned out. You need to paint your nails with a base colour and choose two to four colours and drop some in the water. Take a toothpick and draw a design in the bowl where the nail polish was dropped. Dip your finger into the polish and get a random marble design. It sounds easy but it is not. I will definitely do this technique again and try out new polishes. For this manicure I used Etude House Play Nails in '#70' as my base coat. For the water marble technique to create a stone marble look I used the gold shade 'Gold Digger' and for the black 'Black Forest' both by Tip Top.

4. Yellow Fun Nails: 

So this manicure was me free styling. I had no idea of what I was going to do. I just started painting may nails and going with the flow. This can sometimes be the best part of nail art. Having fun and exploring different options and designs. I like the way it turned out. It could have been a total disaster, but it came out great. For these types of looks I like to use nail polishes that I totally forgot about and haven't used in a long time. You know those polishes and rhinestones that were hidden deep in the back of a box or cupboard? For the base colour I used the yellow shade 'Let's Meet' by Sinful Colors. For the red heart I used the polish 'Red Rocks' by Essence.

*****

Let me know down below which manicure you like the best and if you tried any manicure techniques or designs recently. Thank you so much for reading.

Divalicious Kisses!

Xxxx

Hi Divas!

So Winter is almost coming to a close in the Southern Hemisphere. I feel like Cape Town could not decide whether she wanted to be fully committed to Winter or not. There were many bitterly cold stormy days but there were also gorgeous hot sunny days too. Nevertheless I am happy that Summer is on its way because South Africans don't do Winter well. We love our sunshine! To end off the season, I thought I would do a ''things I loved'' kind of post. If you remember I usually do a ''things I have been loving this month'' blog post but I think I will wrap three months into one this time round. 

1. To start off I have to mention my favourite Winter perfume for 2016. It has to go to Guerlain La Petite Robe Noire, Eau De Parfum Couture. Long name, I know! The bottle design is absolutely stunning. The scent has floral and fruity notes with just the right amount of warmth for a lovely Winter fragrance. It is sweet and woody at the same time, giving it a sense of elegance about it.

2. Who said you cannot eat ice cream in Winter? Ice cream on cold Winter days are such a treat. I honestly feel like a rebel when I indulge in it. I recently discovered a quaint ice cream cafe right next to a hotdog stand at the Waterfront in Cape Town. They sell the most delicious toppings. So yum!

3. To keep my skin from being dull and losing that inner glow, I used the Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector in Pearl. I would mix a pump of it into my daily moisturiser and apply it all over my face. The results of this combo are amazing. My skin looks so radiant and youthful. When you apply your foundation over the moisturizer and highlighting combination, you literally get a lit from within look.  Read my review on the Becca product here.

4. I feel like I have drunk more Bubble tea during Winter than I have ever drunk in the Summer time. My favourite go to flavours are Rooibos tea with cranberries and blueberries, along with Rooibos tea with lemon and passion fruit. Bubble tea is refreshing and delicious. Plus it is so much fun to drink. If you haven't tried it yet, then do yourself a favour and get to a cafe now.

5. Sheet masks have been such a special treat to use during Winter. It kept my face moisturised and nourished. I love to use it at night and wake up to gorgeous flawless skin in the morning. I am seriously addicted to sheet masks. I even got my mom hooked!  Follow me on Snapchat @divadesle, to see more of my sheet mask madness and the different brands I use. You can also read my sheet mask post here.

6. The Too Faced Peach Palette was basically the only palette I wore these past months. I love it sooooo much. There are many varieties of eyeshadows to choose from. This is a warm palette that can be worn all year round. I have been wearing a lot of the rustic brown shades during the cold months. Plus the palette smells amazing and puts me in a good mood when I use it. Favourite palette of life right now!!! Read my review on it here.

7. My favourite Winter lipstick for 2016 has to be Sephora Rouge R17 in Mmmm. I bought this lipstick at Sephora in Qatar. I love the formula of this lipstick as it is hydrating and has a semi matte finish, though it glides on like a cream. The colour is a mix between a sandy pink and lavender shade. I wear it almost everyday and it never leaves my handbag.

8. I got back into the nail art groove again, which is quite surprising since it is Winter. I usually don't do nail art in Winter because my hands are always dry and my nails go brittle and break easily. I started nourishing my hands with The Body Shop Wild Argan Oil Miracle Solid Oil (review here) to save my hands from becoming crusty. It did wonders and my nails grew strong and healthy. My creative juices started to flow again and I managed to paint some fun designs. Follow me on Instagram to see more @divadesle ;-)

9. The beach or anywhere near the sea are my favourite places to hang out and enjoy life. Taking long walks on the beach or going for a run along the promenade on a sunny Winter's day is especially enjoyable for me. I swear, you could take a thousand pictures of the sea and not one will be exactly the same. There is so much beauty in the ocean and the horizon. It is just breathtaking and warms my soul! 



Let me know what you loved these past few months below!
Divalicious Kisses
Xxxxx

Becca 2 in 1 Base Coat and

Becca Dancing BareFoot Nailpolish

Review

Hello Divas!

Did you know Becca sold nail polishes? Well neither did I! I have only ever seen their amazing highlighters and skin perfectors on the interwebs. When I won a Becca hamper back in the day I was so surprised that they threw in some nail products. I was excited and a bit hesitant to try them as I have my holy grail nail polishes and didn't know if they would measure up. Some high end brands make really atrocious nail varnishes and I was hoping this would not be the case with Becca. I received a base and top coat in one, along with a peach nail polish in Dancing Barefoot. They are both packaged in a standard nail polish bottle along with a brown matte top to match the Becca cosmetics theme. Each polish contains 15ml of product and comes in a cute brown box.

Becca 2 in 1 Base Coat/ Top Coat
Let me start off by saying I was pleasantly surprised by this base and top coat in one. When I applied it as my base coat, it covered my nails as a lovely protective primer. It has just the right consistency and sheen to wear under a nail colour or on its own. Some base coats are thick and lumpy which make the nail polish difficult to dry and causes bubbles. Other base coats have a dry and matte appearance and therefore chip easily under your nail varnish. This one has a perfect consistency to strengthen nails and adhere to you nail polish. When I used it as a top coat it gave an amazing finish to my manicure. Firstly it did not make the colours of my nail polish run as some top coats do. This can be a real pain if you do nail art like me, and your designs get messed up by smudging and colours mixing together. Again, this has a perfect consistency to seal your manicure and lock in the design. It gives a lovely shine and dries fairly quickly.


Becca Dancing Barefoot Nail Colour
This is a pretty pastel peach shade that would look flattering and elegant on any skin tone. The nail polish is quite thin in texture. It can be painted sheer with one layer or build it up with three coats for an intense shade. This one dries quickly too and applies evenly on the nail. The brush is a perfect size to coat your nails without causing a mess. The colour has a lovely glossy finish. These varnishes are especially formulated to last up to 5 days with no chipping. I was thoroughly impressed with this product. My manicure in the photo below lasted at least three days on my nails without chipping. It would have lasted longer if I didn't have to do housework. What can a girl do? I clean the house with perfectly manicured hands ;-)

I am so super impressed with Becca's nail polish range. Both the base/top coat and Dancing Barefoot nail colour are fabulous. I used the base/top coat with other nail colour brands and it works just as well. It is important to note that they are also Formaldehyde, Toluene, Camphor and DBP free.I think these are worth every penny. Have you ever used Becca nail products? What do you think of my manicure? I really like it;-) Comment down below!

Lots of Divalicious kisses.
Xxxx

Sorbet Hawaiian Vintage Nail Polish Collection

Hi Divas!

Welcome back to my blog. This week I will be doing some nail polish reviews from a brand called Sorbet. This is a South African brand that specialises in nail and skin care beauty treatments. They have beauty salons across South Africa that are famous for their manicures and facials. Sorbet came out with a range of nail polishes not so long ago that have been selling at Clicks like hot cakes. They are a little more expensive than Essence and Sinful Colors nail polishes so I hesitated to buy them in case I didn't like them. During the Christmas season Sorbet came out with pretty holiday nail varnish collections and I had to get my hands on one of them. It was a now or never situation! LOL. I bought a Vintage Hawaiian holiday pack which came with four nail polishes in the pastel family and a mini emery nail board. The packaging was really cute and looked like Summer. Unfortunately I threw the box away so I don't have a picture for you. The polishes that I got are sold separately in stores so if you see a colour you like you can totally go out and get it! So here are my reviews:

Sorbet Ice is Nice : A beautiful pastel baby blue. I don't own any shades like this in my nail polish collection so I was excited to have this colour. I think it looks lovely and very unique on my nails. The shade can be worn throughout the year and it has a hint of sophistication to it.

Sorbet Flash Me : This is a peachy nail polish with a slight golden shimmer undertone to it. It is a fun colour that is great for Spring and Summer. It is not too bright so it can be worn in a professional setting too like the office.

Sorbet Berry Special : Super pretty pastel purple shade that would look great on all skin tones. It reminds me of Mentos purple chewy sweets and childhood candies. Most purple nail polish shades are quite dark and only suitable for colder months. This one has a bright and soft tone which can be worn all year round.

Sorbet Jaded : Another shade that I did not have in my collection. What I love most about this polish is that it is a true green pastel shade. A lot of pastel green polishes tend to lean towards a light blue or teal shade. I love that Sorbet got it right. As you can see in the photo above the nail polish is a true green with a soft pastel tone to it. Love it!

The formula and consistency of these nail polishes are very opaque and have a medium thickness to it. One stroke of polish coats the nail in colour. It is not sheer and not too thick. It strikes a great balance in texture. You only need two coats to build up a gorgeous opaque manicure on your nails. The long lasting power of these nail varnishes are surprisingly good. With a normal base and top coat these polishes can last up to five days with minimal chipping. I feel that the price is totally worth it for the great quality you are getting. I would definitely recommend these to manicure lovers out there. 

Hope you found this review helpful. 

Lots of love. 

Xxxx

Easter 2016 Diva Bunny

Hi Divas, HAPPY EASTER!!!

I feel like we just celebrated Christmas and now it's Easter! Guys, I cannot keep up with the world. Did an angel press the fast forward button on the universe? Anyway I am not complaining because this gives me an excuse to eat chocolate like a crazy person and I don't have to feel an ounce of guilt. Whoop! ;-D As usual I decided to do a fun Easter manicure. To be honest I always do fun Easter manicures because I haven't found any sophisticated Easter designs yet. To me the feeling of Easter is all about pastel blues, polka dot pinks and little yellow ducks with cute bunnies hopping everywhere. So I think every year at this time I will bring out the 4 year old in me. Lol! 

This is actually my second attempt at this manicure. The first time I did it my bunnies looked like they were possessed by demons and I was like, this is not how my Easter look is going to go down. I think I drew the eyes too big and they ended up looking like monsters. As Jesus is the reason for the weekend,  I don't think He would have been happy with me walking into church with demon bunnies on my nails. I seriously need emoji's for that sentence, haha. Any way I think my bunnies turned out pretty cute the second time round ;-)

For my manicure I painted two bunnies on my thumb and ring finger. The middle finger has a broken egg duck face design and the index and middle fingers have polka dots with blue rhinestones. I used dotting tools and toothpicks to draw on my bunnies, duck face and polka dots. For the nail polishes I used Etude House #70 for my pastel blue base, #8 for my baby pink base and inside of my bunny ears and noses. For the polka dots on my pink base I used Etude House #4 which is a very light creamy pink. Tip Top Black Forest was used for the eyes on both the bunny and duck faces along with Tip Top Cream Puff used as a white base on the middle finger and the bunny faces. I used Tip Top's Salsa Pop to draw the duck nose. For my base coat I used my trusty Sally Hansen Complete Care 4 in 1 Treatment and my favourite top coat of life by Sally Hansen called Mega Shine Top Coat.
 

Hope you enjoyed this post and feel inspired to do some fun Easter manicures too. I am pretty happy in the way my nails turned out. I will be eating my mom's homemade pickle fish and chowing yummy hot cross buns with tea this weekend. These are all South African Easter treats for my international readers out there ;-) Will you be joining an Easter egg hunt or like me already have your chocolate stash ready to be devoured? Let me know below!

Have a wonderful Easter weekend.

Lots of love. 

Xxxx

Hello gorgeous Divas

Christmas is finally upon us. It really is my most favourite time of the year. I hope that you are as excited as I am for this very special day. Are your Christmas decorations up yet and have you finished all your gift shopping? The only thing that I hate about this festive time is the Christmas rush. I prefer doing things earlier in the month so that I have no stress about crazy holiday shopping and trying to find parking at busy malls. The worst! This week on the blog I wanted to share my Christmas makeup and manicure with you. Plus I did a fun festive tag to get us in the Christmas mood. For my makeup I used my Urban Decay Naked 2 palette and my Nude Dude palette by The Balm on my eyelids. These palettes have beautiful glittery gold shades that are great for a festive look. I lined my eyes with a Maybelline Studio Fix gel liner and topped off my lashes with my favourite Hypnose Drama Mascara by Lancome. For my blush I used the gorgeous Clarins Blush prodige product in Miami pink. For my highlight I used The famous Mary Lou Manizer by The Balm for that extra golden twinkle on my cheeks. To top everything off I used Cinnamon Spice by Wet 'n Wild for a deep red lip. This makeup is great for a Christmas dinner as it is super glam and golden.

Holly Jolly Holiday Tag Questions:

-Favourite Christmas movie?
I love watching The Family Stone and The Holiday.

-Are you on the Naughty list or the Nice list?
Always Naughty, lol.

-Show us an embarrassing Christmas Card photo!
I shared one of me and my sister on Instagram last year. My hair was whack in that photo. You can view it here ;-)

-Have you ever had a White Christmas?
Never, but I am dreaming of one.

-Where do you usually spend your holiday?
Sadly in my home town. I would love to take a trip overseas but times are tough people!

-Play or sing your favourite Christmas song!

 I'll add a YouTube link instead. O Holy Night by Mariah Carey and Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas by Bing Crosby. So beautiful!

-Do you open any presents on Christmas Eve?
No. My mother was always very strict about opening presents on Christmas day after church. The torture was real! So I have it ingrained in me now to only open presents on Christmas day. I find that it is more exciting that way.

-Can you name all of Santa's reindeer?

Hell no. I only know Rudolph ;-D

-What holiday tradition are you looking forward to most this year?
Eating and more eating. No jokes!

-Is your Christmas tree real or fake?

 It is fake. We used to have real ones when I was a child.

-Hands down, what's your all-time favourite holiday food and holiday sweet treat?

 I absolutely love my mom's homemade roast lamb and chocolate mousse. My mouth is watering just thinking about it.

-Be honest: do you like giving gifts or receiving gifts better?

 I love giving gifts. I especially love wrapping gifts and making them look pretty. It is so much fun.

-Show us your tackiest Christmas attire!

 Hahaha, I don't have one.

-What would be your dream place to visit for the holiday season?

 I would love to visit the Christmas markets in Germany. They look so stunning in pictures online. As I said above I have never had a white Christmas, so I would love to be in the snow.

-Does your family have a special holiday recipe you like to help make?

Yes. I love helping my mom make the desserts. Like the chocolate mousse and cheesecakes. Yum!

-Are you a pro-present wrapper, or do you fail miserably?

I am definitely a pro! I wrap up those prezzies with precision. No peek a booing allowed ;-)

-Most memorable Holiday moment?

 When my dad almost set the Christmas table alight when he knocked over the candle and it landed on a serviette. All you saw was flames! Hahaha

-What made you realise the truth about Santa?

 When I had to say thank you to my mom and dad for the gifts. I couldn't understand why I had to thank them and not Santa Claus. Something clicked inside me and realised they were somehow involved in the gift giving.

-Do you make New Year's resolutions? Do you stick to them?

Never! I don't believe in making New Year's Resolutions. 

-What makes the Holidays special for you?
Family always makes the holidays special. I love spending time with them. We have so much fun together.



 For my nails I used glittery red Nails Inc nail polish in Marylebone and Nails Inc Foil in Kings Road as a base. I drew on my funny Santa Claus with some Tip Top nail polishes with my dotting tools. I used silver nail trips for my thumb and pinky fingers. I then topped up four of my nails with Christmas nail stickers. Super easy manicure and super fun too ;-) I really hope I have inspired you for this Christmas day and that you enjoyed this post.


Wishing all you lovely Divas a Beautiful and Blessed Christmas and a Happy New Year!!!!
Thank you for all your support on the Diva Desle blog this year. See you in 2016 ;-)
Lots of Love
Xxxx

Hello beautiful ladies!

I am so excited to do this post for you as it is all about makeup and Christmas! One of my favourite holiday collections this year has to be from the drugstore brand Essence. They came out with an array of new makeup, hair and nail polish products for their 2015 holiday collection called Merry Berry. When I saw pictures of the collection online I just knew I had to rush to the stores when it hit the shelves in my area as soon as possible. These products were selling out fast and I managed to grab all that I wanted on one of my morning shopping trips. I was most excited to purchase the gorgeous highlighter powder as it is embossed in the prettiest gold stars. The packaging just made me so excited for Christmas and the festive season. Along with the highlighter I bought two eyeshadows, two nail polishes and two lipsticks. There are also hair fragrance mists and gold shimmer body powders packaged in vintage perfume bottles which I did not get. Below are reviews of the makeup and nail polishes I did buy! ;-)




*Essence Merry Berry Nail Polish in 04 Red Rocks: A lovely bright red shade with slight pink undertones

*Essence Merry Berry Nail Polish in 02 Purple With Purpose: A stunning satin finish deep royal purple shade.

*Essence Merry Berry Eyeshadow in 02 The Masked Ball: A purple eyeshadow with taupe shades and glitter undertones. The eyeshadow is pretty powdery and you get a lot of fall out.

*Essence Merry Berry Eyeshadow in 01 The Perfect Dress: A shimmery beige eyeshadow with glitter undertones. It looks beautiful and natural on the eyelids.

*Essence Merry Berry Highlighter in 01 I love My Golden Pumps: A glowing gold highlighter that gives a natural luminous glow on the cheeks.

*Essence Merry Berry Lipstick in 01 Let's The Berry Tales Begin: A plum lipstick shade with berry undertones. It looks very sultry on the lips and great for a romantic night out.

*Essence Merry Berry Lipstick in 02 Pink and Perfect: A bright pink and berry shade which is very festive and playful. You could wear it any time of the day and it would transform any makeup look into a pretty whimsical feel.






I am absolutely in love with the highlight powder, shimmery beige eyeshadow shade in The Perfect Dress, Let's The Berry Tales Begin plum lipstick and the nail polish in Purple With Purpose. In my opinion these are the best products out of the collection. The highlighter is very natural. I love to use it on my cheekbones and under my brow bone. You can really build up the shine and there are no glitter chunks which I love. The beige eyeshadow makes the eyelids pop without being over the top. The plum lipstick and purple nail polish are unique shades that I do not own in my makeup collection. The other red berry lipstick and nail polish are pretty but they are not unique in shades. So if you have something similar in your makeup kit you honestly don't need it. The purple eyeshadow in The Masked Ball is my least favourite product I bought. The eyeshadow has a lot of fall out and you truly need an excellent sticky primer to make the eyeshadow stick to the eyes. You can definitely skip that eyeshadow if you are looking to pick up only a few pieces from the Merry Berry range.




In the photo above I painted my nails with the Red Rocks and Purple With Purpose nail polishes. The nail varnishes are very opaque and have a beautiful shine after applying a top coat. They dry quite quickly which makes nail painting a breeze. I really love how this manicure turned out. I think it looks very pretty. On my face I applied the eyeshadows, highlight powder and lipsticks. I think both lipstick shades compliments the eye look so well. Look at the magnificent highlighter on my cheeks too! I just love it ;-) If you only want to pick up one thing from the range you have to buy the highlight powder. The stunning starry packaging alone makes my heart skip several beats.



Hope you found this review helpful.
Much love!
Xxxx

Hi Divas

This week I want to review one of  my recent nail polish purchases, which is the Essence Gel Base and Top Coat. I have always wanted to have gel nails done professionally at a nail salon. They last 10 times longer than normal nail polish and you can have so many different nail designs without worrying about your nails getting chipped or damaged. Thankfully cosmetic companies have come out with gel nail polishes that promise to make your manicures last just as long as the salon gel nails for a fraction of the price. I had really high hopes for these products as they promised to make my manicures last up to 60% longer and have extreme shine. In salons gel nails are bonded onto your nail with a bright UV lamp. These products are applied lamp free which is super convenient for those on the go and do not wish to purchase expensive gel nail kits that come with a lamp.

My thoughts on the Gel Base and Top Coat below:



Essence Gel Base Coat: The base coat comes in a 8ml white bottle with a standard nail polish brush. The formula of this base coat is pretty weird because it has a shine once applied on the nail but dries to a dull matte clear polish. This base coat dries really quickly too and it is kind of difficult to see that you even have a base coat on your nails because it has a very matte finish. The polish is quite thin in texture so it kind of gave me doubts as to whether the base coat would hold up for an entire week without chipping.

Essence Gel Top Coat: The top coat comes in a silver 8ml bottle with the same standard brush. It is thicker in consistency than the base coat and does not dry matte. It gives the manicure a beautiful shine. It takes a little longer to dry than the base coat too. I was very impressed with the top coat on my first use. I liked the way the top coat applied to my nails and the shine it gave my manicure.




The base and top coat are meant to be used in conjunction with the new range of gel polishes by Essence. I bought the shade 40 Play With My Mint to test the longevity of the base and top coat. I applied this manicure at least four times in two months to really test out the 60% longer lasting nail polish claims. As I said before I had really high hopes for these products not only for the claims but I read many good reviews on them. Sadly, I was quite disappointed with my results. I don't know what I did wrong but my nail polish didn't last longer than when I would use my holy grail Sally Hansen top coat. My nails started chipping at least two days after I had done my manicure. I tried to do my manicures a little differently every time like waiting a little longer for the base coat to dry and not using any nail art on the polishes. Each time my manicures chipped after two days. 

Needless to say these polishes did not hold up their claims for me. I was thinking of testing the base and top coat out with a different colour of the Essence gel polish range. Maybe I will get a different result. Others had given these products rave reviews but I wasn't very impressed by them. Have you tried this range? Did it work for you and do you love it? Please let me know below.


Thank you for reading.
Lots of love.
Xxxx

Hi Divas

This week I want to take a break from the reviews and do a fun tag. Winter is almost coming to a close in the Southern Hemisphere. I am really glad that Summer is approaching again because Cape Town has been particularly cold these last three months. I am so looking forward to the warm sunshine days, lazing around on the beach and wearing my pretty bright dresses again. What I will miss about Winter time is not worrying about whether I look fat in an outfit or not. In Winter you can wear heavy coats and big slouchy jerseys to cover up the extra bulges on the body. Lol, that is my favourite thing about Winter. I think this tag is done. Hehehe, just joking. I will be doing a random Winter tag in this post. Hope you all enjoy reading and learning a little more about me. You can answer some of the questions in the comment section below too.

Questions:

1. Do you like winter?
No. I am a Summer baby. I don't like getting cold.


2. What is your fave fashion accessory for the winter season?
I love wearing different coloured scarves and textures. It really brightens up an outfit and changes the look. 


3. What is your fave winter activity?
Reading and drinking tea/coffee in my bed.


4. What is your fave winter scent?
I adore the Guerlain scent La Petite Robe Noire. It is a beautiful sweet and fruity scent that is very warm and inviting. I love the cute bottle packaging too. It is fit for a diva! ;-)


5. What is your fave winter drink?
Anything with coffee in it. I love drinking decadent lattes and Mocha cafes. Yum!


6. What is your fave winter lip colour?
I like a dark smouldering lip. Be it a dark purple, red or plum shades. My favourites are Gemma by Stila, Rapture by Urban Decay, Shanghai Express by Nars and Cinnamon Spice by Wet n' Wild.


7. What is your fave Winter holiday movie?
 I don't really have an absolute favourite Winter movie, but I do enjoy watching The Holiday and The Secret Garden with a big bowl of popcorn and my warm oversized blanket.


8. What is your fave winter blush?
Too Faced Sweethearts blush in Peach Beach is my favourite. It gives a beautiful peach and bronzy glow in the winter time. It really warms up the face.


9. What is your fave winter holiday treat?
 My bed! I rarely go away on holiday during the Winter months. I prefer being cozy in my bed.


10.What is your fave nail colour/polish for the winter season?
 I don't have a favourite Winter nail polish as I wear all my bright colours all year round. I enjoyed my leopard print manicure that I did a while back. It is dark and vampy, yet still fun to wear. I want to recreate that manicure again. It is great for Winter time.




I really hope you enjoyed this tag
Much love!
Divalicious kisses
Xxxx