The Spring Edit: Nails

After nearly a week of consecutive sun (touch wood) I think we can safely say Spring has arrived! The beauty wardrobe deserves a seasonal revamp and the first port of call for me is always nails. Ten little fragments of colour that give noting but hope for warmer weather. The big dilemma however is pastels or brights? I've picked five of my favourites in each category that will definitely be adorning my nails over the coming weeks.

Pastels have always been good to me. Their soft hues are flattering and pretty and suit almost every skin tone. First up we have Essie's Fiji, the palest of all the pinks, think ballerina. The formula is opaque which creates a subtle statement on the nails. Another nude that I can't seem to talk about enough is Lychee from the Barry M Gelly Collection. Easy to apply and super glossy this is the ultimate 'mannequin nail' colour for me, and they don't half last long! Topshop's Parma Violets has been in my collection for a long, long time but what's not to love about the perfect pastel lavender? This one take a good few coats but with all Topshop nail polishes it's definitely worth it. Essie makes an appearance again with Bikini So Teeny which although hailing from last years Summer line, is still a firm favourite for a soft touch of blue. Finally the newbie of the bunch from B. Cosmetics is a serious contender for the mint green of the year. Sea Foam is my first purchase from their nail polishes but the formula and wear time have definitely impressed me.

As for the brights, I like to keep them pure and simple but very intense! Barry M's Blueberry is an amazing stand out, creamy blue without a hint of lilac in it. Similarly Green Room from Topshop has an intense colour but with an edgier forest green tone. If you're one for sticking to the typical spring/summer colours then Cute As A Button*, a bright pink-toned coral and Fear and Desire, a fierce orange from Essie are the ones for you. These two look amazing on both toes and fingers! Last up possibly one of my favourite polishes of all time, Ciaté's Yellow Taxi, the perfect loud nail colour that's just on the right side of neon before we start talking fluorescents.

What are your favourite Spring colours?

* Gifted PR Samples

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Barry M Gelly High Shine Nail Paint

I'm always a fan of a seriously good nail varnish formula. Glossy, fast drying, well pigmented and long lasting are all traits that I look for when finding that perfect little bottle of colour. After slowly building up a collection over the last few months (and loving them even more with every new purchase) Barry M's new Gelly Nail Paint might just be the polish that takes the title.

The formula is supposed to emulate a gel manicure without the commitment of having the same colour talons for an entire two weeks. Personally I'd say they look just as glossy, even without a top coat, and although they last no more than three or four days before starting to look a little worse for wear, that's quite an achievement for a nail polish that costs just £3.99.

The three colours I have here are Papaya, which sits beautifully inbetween bright orange coral, Blueberry, a soft blue which got this whole craze going and Lychee, a light pastel beige newly crowned as my favourite polish of possibly the whole year so far. These all scream spring/summer to me and will more than likely be adorning my nails over the coming warmer months, but the range also consist of some good deep shades to keep us happy all year round!

What do you think of the Gelly Nail Paints? Whats your favourite colour?


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Nude Nails

Essie Topless & Barefoot, Model's Own Nude Beige, Essie Sand Tropez, Nails Inc Porchester Square
Staying with the theme of my last post I've been hopping on-board the neutral train when it comes to nails as well as lips this month. Despite my nail polish collection being full of every colour under the sun it's the pale nudes and the greyish beige tones I've been reaching for most lately.

Essie seem to have an overwhelming range of nude colour to take your pick from, two of which I reach for regularly; Sand Tropez, a cool toned beige which along with my skin tone gives a real 'mannequin hands' look and Topless & Barefoot, a similar creamy finish but with a soft pink hue. I don't quite think you can quite beat the longevity and the application of an Essie these days, but a few others that have been dug out of the depths of the collection to add to the list of neutrals I'm loving. These include my first ever Models Own purchase from back in the day; Nude Beige. It's a touch darker than the rest and has a quite prominent warm pink undertone. Last of all we have Nails Inc Porchester Square which I've been most besotted with lately, it might just take the title of 'perfect greyish nude' and has a hint of lilac shot through for good measure. I love how elegant this shade looks!

So the big question is, do you go nude? If so, what's your favourite neutral colour?


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The Ciaté Mini Mani Round Up: Top Five

It seems like forever ago I started opening up the Ciaté Mini Mani Month at the beginning of December, and although the countdown is finished and Christmas has been and gone, I've only just about managed to use all of the colours and pick a few favourites to show you! These lovely little numbers are my top five polishes from the set.

Starting off with Cookies and Cream, a subtle greige nude colour, perfect for toes. I've found myself wanting to wear nude nails a lot more this month and love the clean look they give. Completely opposite to that however, Big Yellow Taxi is possibly the brightest of all the bright yellows and an absolute pain in the bum to get on. Despite that I absolutely love the contrast of nearly neon nails against darker clothing. Power Dressing was going to be a winner for me from the start as deep navy blues are always my favourite tone to wear in the winter as they give the nails a dark vampy look that's just slightly less harsh than a full on black. Enchanted Rose was one of the three exclusive shades brought out just for this calender and is everything you could want from a red glitter polish. This was all I wore over Christmas! Finally Candyshop is one of the coveted Ciaté Caviar blends which I've been wanting to get my hands on for a long time. There were four mini Caviars in the set, my favourite of them being this multicolour mix of pinks, blues and oranges. These are so great as an accent nail and really easy to use.

I thought the whole idea of this Advent Calender was great and was so sad to finish it, even if it was incredibly hard not to cheat and open all the windows! Hopefully next year I'll be able to find another beauty Advent (I've got my eye on Liz Earle..) but for now, I'm happy playing with my new little collection of these amazing minis!


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Ciaté Mini Mani Month

I was one very happy girl this morning after waking up to the amazing Ciaté Mini Mani Month (thank you Darren!). I desperately wanted this after seeing it on the Selfridges website and after a few rather obvious hints its finally ended up in my hands. The whole thing contains mini versions of Ciaté's seventeen best selling nail polishes, four mini Caviar blends and three exclusive glitter colours that can only be found in this collection. Some might think it's a little extravagant for an advent calendar but it's nice to have something other than chocolate every morning in December. I can't wait to open all these up, believe me it's hard not to take a peak!


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Pudsey Nails!

It's Children In Need tonight and after turning up at work in a pair of ears and my pyjamas yesterday (all for the cause!) I thought I'd do some Pudsey inspired nails too! I'm sure I'll be staying up all night to watch the show, ears on of course, and if you can don't forget to donate!

Nail Products Used: Models Own Snow White, Barry M Yellow and Cyan Blue, Ciaté Mojito and Mistress, Essie Fear or Desire, Models Own Black Nail Art Pen

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Currently Wearing: Nails

I like to keep all the nail varnishes I use most on my dressing table where I can see them, so I thought I'd show you all what's made it to the cake stand this month. I'm sort of in between Summer and Autumn with these colours, still not quite ready to let go of my brights but starting to embrace the deeper tones of the colder months!

Models Own x Hed Kandi Beach Party: I'm a little late on the Models Own Hed Kandi bandwagon, but strangely this florescent neon colour has only just appealed to me as we're coming into Autumn. You might need to wear sunglasses when looking at this on your nails, but the colour is amazing.

Barry M Red Black: An old timer in my nail polish collection, Barry M was my go to nail brand in my teens and I think I own about 99% of their range. These deep burgundy red colours will always be my favourite and considering the price, I really think the formula of Barry M varnishes is one of the best.

Nails Inc Baker Street: The brightest blue nail varnish you'll ever find. Everything about this colour is so vivid I can't help but keep looking at my nails when I'm wearing it.

Models Own Pink Punch: I love the way neon colours look with darker clothes, and similar to Beach Party, I've been wearing this one a lot recently. Love this on the toes too!

Models Own In The Navy: A dark navy blue is another one of those colours that I'll never get tired of wearing. I especially love how this looks with big chunky Autumn knits and nude colours.

Essie Bikini So Teeny: I think this colour was the new Mint Candy Apple for Essie this summer, just about everyone had it. It's the perfect pastel shade and I'm going to cling on to wearing this one for as long as I can this year.

Louise Gray for Topshop Junkyard: My most recent acquisition. I thought all the Louise Gray make up was amazing when I saw it in Topshop, so many beautiful bright colours and the clothing collection is just as good. I love a good chunky glitter polish, and the bright blue of this one stood out to me right away.

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Absolutely Shore

Essie Absolutely Shore £8.50 & Burt's Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Creme £5.99
Despite having a multitude of neon bright nail colours in my collection, I've been wearing nothing but nudes and pastels recently. Essie Topless and Barefoot and Ballet Slippers have litterally been the only things gracing my nails for the last few months which is rare for me seeing as I barely ever take a colour off only to put it on again!

I mentioned Absolutley Shore in a wishlist a few weeks ago and I'd shamelessly bought it pretty much minutes after that was posted. Its a pale pastel green, a lot less blue and in your face than Mint Candy Apple which was my first Essie purchase years ago. I think this one's going to be my go to for spring nails.

The one problem I have with Essie is that the thin brushes make it hard to get the colours on quickly and evenly. Thankfully though, Boots and Superdrug have just started selling a small collection of Essie's best sellers with a much thicker and easier to use brush. I might have to re-purchase Mint Candy Apple because of this as it's one of my all time favourites, but unfortunately Absolutely Shore hasn't been released in stores as of yet!

Working on a beauty counter, I was my hands a lot and my cuticles get pretty dry and ragged so recently I've making an effort to take better care of them. I've been smothering on Burt's Bees Cuticle Creme, a product that I've already fallen in love with despite only buying it less than a week ago. Its the perfect not-too-waxy balm that moisturises but doesn't leave a lot of residue and it smells amazing. Just like fresh lemons, a scent which I think I'm going to be very into this summer. I've already been eyeing up The Body Shop's new Sweet Lemon Beautifying Oil and we all know I love a good oil product!

This has been a bit of a mixed post but let me know what your favourite Spring nail colours are!

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Kiss Me Hard Before You Go

Dress: Asos
Belt: Dorothy Perkins
Sunglasses: Primark
Lipstick: Topshop Mischief
Taking full advantage of the amazing sun we're experiencing at the moment by wearing a dress and not a lot else. I paired it with the boots from this post and some amazing frilly socks. I definitely think Summer fashion, while very pretty, is a lot less inspiring than that of Autumn/Winter where you can wear layer upon layer instead of as little as possible, all the time trying not to look too scandalous.

I've gotten back into doing a Caggie Dunlop (OMG how excited is everyone that Made in Chelsea is starting again on Monday!? #fangirl) and painting every nail a different colour. After drooling over all of the pastels gracing the highstreet at the moment I decided that I'd adorn my nails with them too! From top to bottom they are: Essie Mint Candy Apple, Barry M Peach Melba, Models Own Blooboo, Topshop Parma Violet and 17 Sherbet Lemon. Anyone else notice how they're nearly all food related?

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OPI Rainbow Connection

O.P.I Rainbow Connection
I've been lusting after this beautiful glitter polish for a long time now and after seeing it pop up everywhere recently I decided I had to cave in and buy it. I struggled to find it online anywhere and had to resort to eBay in the end where I paid around £10 with postage so it worked out to be a little cheaper than the original price. Looking at it now though, I know I'd pay that for it!

The only way I can describe it is as a true rainbow colour. Red, orange, green.. you name it, it's in there! I like to layer it over the top of something neutral like Ciaté's My Fair Lady or my new favourite Essie polish, Topless & Barefoot so that it's all about the colours of the glitter. It also makes for a perfect accent nail.

I'm thinking of buying a backup for this as I'm pretty sure like most OPI collections the Muppets one, which this is from, is limited edition!

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Minty

Eyeko Vintage Polish, Essie Mint Candy Apple, OPI Mermaid's Tears, Model's Own Pro Jade-Anna, Barry M Mint Green, George Streamer
I was sorting through my ridiculous sized nail varnish collection today and noticed one particular colour kept cropping up more than others. Ever since seeing Fade To Black's signature minty green nails a few years ago I've been searching for the perfect green of my own. I think my all time favoutire has to be Essie's Mint Candy Apple, although I've got quite a few to pick and choose from! Barry M's Mint Green is another that's been well loved along with it's perfect dupe Eyeko's Vintage Polish (which I still can't believe they've discontinued!). I should probably throw a few of these away instead of gravitating towards the exact same colour every time I go near a nail varnish stand, but I don't think I can help myself! What's your go to colour?

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Candy Cane

Models Own Snow White, 17 Risky Red
After becoming a little obsessed with stripey nails thanks to the nail wraps I got in November's Glossybox I decided to get a little festive with some candy cane inspired nails. Just add one tacky christmas jumper and voila! Really want to try some Dainty Nails inspired fair isle print but I don't think my artistic capabilities extend quite that far.

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17 Magnetized Nail Varnish

17 Magnetized Nail Polish - Lilac & Gun Metal
Can I just start by saying what an ordeal it was to get these nail varnishes! Every time I went into Boots they were either out of stock or all the bottles had been opened and used. Aren't people lovely. However, I finally walked in one day and they were there, freshly unpacked and ready for me! I wanted to get all the colours really but talked myself out of it in the end because as lovely as these are, I'm not sure how often I'm going to wear them.

Along with the rest of the blogging world I've been lusting after the Nails Inc Magnet Effects polish for so long now, but really couldn't justify the price. These from 17 we're only £5.99 which I thought was a much better price and probably not a whole lot of difference in the product.

I got Lilac and Gun Metal which I'm wearing together here. Photos don't really do the effect justice as in real life its pretty amazing. I worked out after a few failed attempts that the easiest way to apply is to paint a thin layer without using the magnet, let it dry, then do a second coat and quickly hover the magnet over the nail for a few seconds. You have to work pretty fast with these before they dry so it takes a bit of practice but I love the end result, so unique. I hope they bring these out in other colours. I'd love to see some pastels!

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500 Followers Giveaway - Now Closed

It means so much to me that so many people take the time to read my little blog, and seeing all your lovely comments makes it so worthwhile. As you probably already know, the Models Own nail varnishes are some of my all time favourites, and I thought I'd give you the chance to win six of their glitter polishes as a big thank you! From left to right, the colours are: Mixed Up, Juicy Jules, Magenta Divine, Disco Mix, Scarlet Sparkle and Emerald City.

Rules:
- To enter, comment below leaving your name and email so I can contact you
- You must be a follower of this blog
- Open to all readers, international too!
- There will be one winner chosen by random.org
- Giveaway ends at midnight on Sunday November 27th
- Winner will be notified the day after

Extra entries:
- Write a separate comment below linking me to either:
- A tweet about this giveaway
- A mention in a blog post
- (or both!)

As well as that, I'd also like to give you all a 50% discount code for Covet Jewellery which will be valid until the end of the giveaway. Just enter the code GIVEAWAY50 at the checkout, and good luck to you all!

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Halloween Nails

Models Own Fluro' Orange & Snow White, H&M; Moody Model
Bit of a lackluster Halloween this year, I haven't even dressed up! Did these nails this evening while watching Simpsons Halloween specials on sky and trying to resist the urge to go trick or treating. Such a child at heart. What's everyone else been up to today?

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This Week #10

01. Every year the village I grew up in has a carnival with floats, lots of food and cute little stalls. Over the years its gotten a bit tacky, but I still love going and throughly stuffing my face with doughnuts and candy floss! I'm thinking of making some flags like these using one of Gem's old Tuesday TIps to hang in the kitchen.

02+03. In the village we found a little cafe tucked away behind a jewellery shop. I've lived there most of my life and never knew it existed! Couldn't resist the hot chocolate with marshmallows which are unsurprisingly absent for this photo as I'd scoffed them all before even making it to the table. How ladylike.

04. After trying and failing at dipping little bits of sponge into nail varnish, this is my lazy take on cosmic nails using Andrea Fulerton's Mischa and Models Own Juicy Jules. So much easier to just put a coat of each on and I think I prefer the understated starry effect.


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October GlossyBox

Robert Piguet Eau De Parfums / Stila Smudge Stick Waterproof Eyeliner in Moray / Leighton Denny Expert Nails in Hanky-Panky / Dermalogica Age Smart MultiVitamin Thermafoliant / Dermalogica Age Smart Multivitamin Power Recover Masque / Dermalogica Age Smart Renewal Lip Complex (inside beauty bag)
I didn't know whether or not to do this post as most of the world now seems to be blogging about GlossyBox but I thought I'd quickly show you what I got. I've wanted to try Dermalogica for a long time, and being quite into anti-aging at the moment (can’t do enough to prevent ‘them wrinkles!) I'm excited to use these samples. I also think its great to have a few different bits from the same brand so you really get the full effect of using a whole system. Then again, that might not be diverse enough for some people, so I think this month’s box might cause some contraversy.

After snooping around other reviews before hand, I was excited to see the Leighton Denny nail varnish in there. I've wanted try something from his brand for a while too, but as soon as I opened it I thought 'typical'. Such a horrible colour! That may just be my taste and I'm sure it would look lovely on someone else, but metallic neon orange? Really? I definitely think there should be a way of choosing the colours of things like make up or nail products before receiving them because I know for a fact I'll never use this and unless I give it away, it’s just sitting in a draw wasted. Either that or someone should set up a GlossyBox swap site for all those poor unwanted products! One bloggers trash could be another's treasure!

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