Hey Lovelies,
I am trying my best to reel out all my draft blog posts to make up for the little drought I had on this blog last month. I love writing these blog posts and I hope you all enjoy reading it. Today, I am reviewing the Aqua Mineral Professional Nail Kit.
I have had this nail kit from Aqua Mineral for a really long time although I have not been using it regularly. I recently rediscovered it one of the boxes I had not totally unpacked when I was moving houses. I have more space now in my current flat so I am unpacking many things I always left packed away. It feels like I have new products and I am loving it especially without the associated damage to my bank account.Win-Win. The best thing is it is SLES and SLS free and is made from minerals from the Dead Sea. You all know I am all about finding natural or almost natural products for my beauty and skin care routine. I was really stoked to rediscover this product again.
I am not sure if you have ever heard about Aqua Mineral Spa, but I had not heard about them before I started using these products. When I lived back in Manchester (I recently went back, check here for blog post), I loved going to the City Centre and Arndale Shopping Mall especially after work or during the weekends. On one of those occasions, I was beckoned by a persistent but pleasant sales girl and I obliged her. She basically told me about the Aqua Mineral Spa Mud Mask (review coming shortly) which was really nice after the little demonstration on the back of my hand. As impressed as I was, I could not justify spending such an amount(£60) for just one product.
She offered to give me this Aqua Mineral Nail Kit free (and a beauty soap bar) if I bought the Mud mask and that made me contemplate changing my mind which I totally did after she demonstrated how to use the nail kit on my hands. Cash changed hands and I promptly left with the Aqua Mineral Mud Mask and Aqua Mineral Nail Kit. I used it a couple of times, loved it and packed it away. Fast forward, almost two years later, this is my review of the Aqua Mineral Nail Kit.
A little background/History
Aqua Mineral Spa pride themselves in producing skin care, beauty and nail care products which are free from Parabens, SLS and SLES. They are made from minerals sourced directly from the Dead Sea in Israel which is well known for its natural healing and therapeutic qualities. So, if you are unable to travel to get some natural goodness you can get a bit of it from their products. According to their website, the Aqua Mineral Professional Nail Kit "free you from dependence on external professional nail care, saving time and money". Find out more about their brand here. Sounds good but let's find out more about using the actual products. The Professional Kit contains a Nail Buffer (with three different sides which we will explore later), a Nail File, a Cuticle Oil and a Hand and Body Lotion (Mine was delicate dew).
Packaging
I think the packaging is really good because I have had this for almost two years and it is only slightly battered despite moving houses a couple of times. I like blue as a colour for this packaging because I think it represents the brand properly especially with many of the main ingredients coming from the Dead Sea.
Inside the packaging, all the products contained all have their own compartments which makes it really easy to travel with. Another good thing is it has a small hole to slip your finger into to aid in pulling out the product section from the outer package. Very nice.
Ingredients
Many of the products ingredients are not listed on the outer packaging but rather on the individual products themselves like the Hand and Body Velvet Touch Lotion and the Nail Treatment Cuticle Oil. They contain many natural ingredients such as Rapeseed Oil, Sunflower Seed Oil, Grapeseed Oil, Dead Sea Water, Jojoba Oil, Almond Oil to mention a few. Although, it also contains a few alcohols like Cetaryl alcohol, I assume it is for the purpose of preserving the products. Don't quote me :-) For more information on their ingredients, you can check the website here
Velvet Touch Hand and Body Lotion in Delicate Dew
The packaging is beginning to wear off a little but I think it gives it a new aesthetic look. This is one of my favourite products in the whole bunch. It feels really moisturising and light on my skin. It is very handy to know it can be used both as a hand and body lotion and it comes in a really generous amount- 250 ml which has lasted me for a good while.
It has a fragrance to it which is really hard to describe but smells like fresh sea with some flowers. I like it and this fragrance lingers for a little while. I use this on my body and on my hands when I have a mini home manicure.
According to the packaging, it contains a rich mixture of Sesame Seed oil, Jojoba Oil, Olive oil and Avocado oil to produce a perfectly balanced formula with extracts of Algae (say what?), Dead Sea minerals, Rosemary Oil, Vitamin E and Ginseng which deeply nourish and invigorate the skin which it quickly absorbs. Very descriptive and I believe it does have these qualities because I have just started using it again all over my body and hands which tend to feel dry with the humid weather here in London.
The Nail Treatment Cuticle Oil
This has to be the star product of the whole kit because it is the one product that delivers an instant visible difference on your nails. It comes in a nice little vial which has a golden cap and a small nuzzle to let out the oil in little drops with a gentle squeeze of the bottle. I remember the sales lady telling me I was entitled to a free refill when it runs out; I may go back whenever this runs out if it ever does as you only need very little to do the work :-)
It contains many natural oils which include Grape Seed Oil, Rape Seed Oil, Borage, Dead Sea Mineral water to mention a few. It really does nourish your nails and strengthens it as well. It is most useful around your cuticle area which is often damaged by excessive buffing or manicures or even painting your nails with nail polishes.
It gives your nail a shine that is really brilliant and lasts for a few days at the most. To be honest, any time I use this cuticle oil, I really do not want to paint my nails because it already looks pretty.
Nail Buffer Block
There is not much to say other than it is really a basic buffing block. It does have three sides which are used for different stages of the buffing. It is difficult to see because I have had this for a little while and it is a little battered.
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Blue/Purple Side- Step 1
The lighting was a bit off when I took these pictures so it is a little difficult to distinguish the colours of the different sides of the buffer as they all come off as white. Also, this is not the original buffer that came with the kit. |
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| Grey Side- Step 2 |
I had it changed because it was getting a little old and they had promised me they would change it if anything happened so I took advantage of their lovely offer. Basically, it has three coloured sides with directions to use as follows:
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| White Side- Step 3 |
Step 1. Blue side* (or purple like mine) – buff the nail for 5-10 seconds once a month to remove surface ripples, ridges and stains.
Step 2. Grey side – buff the nail for 5-10 seconds once a month to smooth the nail surface.
Step 3. White side – continue buffing for another 5-10 seconds to give your nail a wonderfully shiny look. Use every 2 weeks or as needed. *They always advise not to use the Step 1 or blue side excessively as this may cause the enamel of the nail to wear out leading to weakness and damage.
Nail File
This is my least favourite product because I have other trusty nail files which do the work properly. This looks really pretty though but it gets dirty easily just like the buffer block. I have used the nail file a couple of times and I am not really wowed. It is just basic and does the job but nothing extraordinary.
Cost
I did not buy this nail kit but received it as a gift as part of a purchase of the Aqua Mineral Refining Mud Mask (review coming up soon) so I have no comments on the cost. It retails for $79 on their website although they have massive discounts every month known as deal of the month; usually up to 40% off so it may come off cheaper after the discount. You can check out the prices on their website here. They currently have a 40% off code which is AM2013 which can be used on all purchases online.
Verdict
I have mixed feelings on this one. I really like the Velvet Touch Hand and Body Lotion and I totally love the Nail Treatment Cuticle oil and it would have been lovely if they were sold separately outside of the Professional Nail Kit. However, I feel the Buffer Block has the same benefits as many other good nail buffers you can find anywhere and don't even get me started with the nail file. All in all, I think they are a good brand despite how pricey their products are.
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| My nails before using the Professional Nail Kit |
The products have good benefits especially because they are mainly natural and sourced from the Dead Sea. If I were given a chance to purchase the Aqua Mineral Nail Kit, I would ask them if I can only purchase the Velvet Touch Hand and Body lotion and The Nail Treatment Cuticle Oil as those were the only products that stood out to me.
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| After using the kit; Can you notice the slight shine? Not a massive difference in this picture but nails felt healthier. |
I hope you enjoyed this post and my attempt to almost publish posts almost everyday...almost!! I totally enjoy writing on this blog and I hope you all enjoy reading my posts. Catch you in my next blog post....toodles..xxx
