With Christmas just being two days away, TWO DAYS! I am trying to get into the festive spirit as much as possible, I have to admit that this year, I've not felt as Christmassy as I normally do. But I haven't really done too much this December, so perhaps that's why. But for the past few days, I've been watching Christmas films, wrapping presents, blaring Christmas music and of course getting my nails ready for Christmas.
Hmm you may be thinking 'hmm what now?' But it can't just be me, who goes all out with their nails over Christmas, surely? Anyways, I've always loved a Christmassy nail, I usually like to do something with glitter, and my design of choice takes longer for me to decide than what it probably should do.
Today, I thought I'd share two options with you, we've got a pink and star option, then a black glitter (which I really love) which are both so easy to do. Also you can check out last year's post too, if you want some more inspo!
Pink With Stars
This one is so easy to do, but I think it looks really cute and takes no time at all.
For this you'll need a pink nail polish of choice, I've gone for essie's Gel Couture Lace Me Up.
Then you'll need some little stars, I got mine from eBay, but you could get these from somewhere like a party shop (as they're basically confetti) or you could use something else like gems, or even do a dot of glitter nail polish!
All you do is, paint your nails with the pink for two coats. Leave to dry for a minute, then get your topcoat brush and dot this in the stars and add to the bottom of your nail and voila! Apply topcoat over the top and then wait to dry.
I do find that the starts can get caught on things, so these may be one for painting on Christmas Eve then taking the stars off after Christmas Day, but I think these look really nice and are so easy to do!
Next we have a black and gold glitter nail, which may not be a traditional Christmas nail, but I actually quite like them!
For this I have used essie's Liquorice nail polish and Glow Your Own Way which is a gold glitter.
For this, you will need to paint your nails with two coats of black nail polish, then once dry, add gold glitter to the bottom of your nail. I tend to start at the bottom and work my way up the side of the nail. You don't have to be really neat as it creates a pretty cool effect. I do this till my nails are all done and I love how it looks. I think this could be a good NYE nail!
So I'll probably be doing one of these nail looks for Christmas, I haven't decided which one yet, or I may even combine the two and go for a pink base and gold glitter bottom!
I'd love to know how you're doing your nails for Christmas. Are you going all out with the glitter, or something a bit more subtle? Let me know :)
Have a great Saturday, today I've been doing the food shop and doing the manic tidying of the house ready for everyone to come over on Christmas day! Hope your day has been a lot more interesting haha! :)
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Advent Calendars are no longer just reserved for chocolate, oh no, this year there seems to be an advent calendar for most things; cheese, playdoh and candles are just a few on sale this year, and beauty advent calendars are a huge trend. I've been very lucky to receive a couple of beauty advent calendar's this year, and today we're going to talk about the essie advent calendar*.
So you ready?
Let's go...
Priced at currently £40 at Superdrug, this isn't a cheap advent calendar, butttt you do get quite a lot for your money with this calendar. There's 24 doors, and inside there are 7 full size nail polishes, 13 mini nail polishes, 1 mini nail polish remover and three nail tools. The contents are worth over £100, and the 7 full size nail polishes are worth £55 alone, so £40 is actually a really good price for what's inside.
There's a mixture of shades in the calendar and some are even exclusive to the calendar which I think is quite cool, especially if you're a huge essie fan. The shades are very festive, think reds, glitter, etc... but there are a few all round colours including Fiji -my ultimate fave essie shade!
So the colours inside are ;
Rock The Runway - Gel Couture Shade - A bright festive red
Luxedo - A deep purple
Disco Doll- A lilac glitter
Mink Muffs - A purple toned nude
Liquorice - A rich black
Fifth Avenue - An orange toned red
Fishnet Stockings - A deep Burgundy red
Sil Vous Play Hero- A lilac shimmer
Bobbing For Baubles - A navy shade
Tart Deco - A peachy coral
Fiji - A baby pink
L-R Cocktail Bling, Sugar Daddy, Tart Deco, Fiji & Bobbing For Baubles
Cocktail Bling - A blue toned grey
Sugar Daddy - A sheer baby pink
In The Mood Ring - A black and silver glitter
Glow Your Own Way - A gold glitter
L-R - Glow Your Own Way, CC corrector for nails, Sil Vous Play Hero, In The Mood Ring
Mini Colour Corrector For Nails
Gel Setter Top Coat
All in One - base, top coat and strengthen
Apricot Oil - use on your cuticles
Mini Gel Couture Top Coat
Mini Nail Polish Remover
Nail/Toe separator
Glass Nail File
4 in 1 - buffer, file, shine and polish
L-R Luxedo, Fishnet Stockings, Disco Ball, Fifth Avenue, Licorice, & Mink Muffs
I think it's a really good mix of colours, there's some brights (Rock The Runway, Tart Deco & Fifth Avenue) Nudes (Fiji, Sugar Daddy & Mink Muffs) and even glitters (In The Mood Ring, Glow Your Own Way & Disco Doll) so I think there's something for everyone. I also like how the colours all mix and match so the glitters work well with the colours, e.g the black and silver glitter In The Mood Ring would work perfectly with Liquorice, and Glow Your Own Way would work with all the red shades and Disco Doll with all the pink toned shades. I also like how there's a base coat, top coat and gel top coat, as well as a cuticle oil too so it's like everything has been thought of.
L-R Rock The Runway and Gel Couture Top Coat
I'm a huge fan of essie polishes mainly cause they're the polish which last the longest on my nails without chipping, I also like the wide brushes too as it makes painting your nails pretty easy, even if you're a bit heavy handed like me!
For the price of £40 I think this is great value considering you get 20 nail polishes, and it's a great way to try different essie shades. Also the box is pretty cute too right? I love the NYC theming! So overall, is it worth the hype? Yes. Is it worth the money? Yes.
So there we go, the essie advent calendar, definitely worth treating yourself too, or a very lucky loved one. I'd love to know your thoughts, will you be snapping one up?
* I received this as a press sample but was under no obligation to post.
You should know one thing about me.
And that is, that I am a massive essie fan girl. Like huge. The biggest.
I have my favourite colours and can spot an essie shade from a mile off, in fact I’ve had to stop myself from saying ‘are you wearing Fiji right now?’ to an absolute stranger on more than one occasion.
Anyways, you also should know that I have special nail polishes for special memories, for example, you can read here about my proposal and engagement polish which shocker, are both essie shades.
So with me being a bit sentimental let's just say, about my nail polish choices, it probably won't come as any surprise that I've already thought about how I want my nails for my wedding day next year. I can’t decide between false nails, gels or just using polish, but a new range from essie has come out which could definitely sway my choice towards the nail polish route a little more.
This new essie range couldn't be up more my street if it tried. Pastel, nude nail polishes? Oh boy. My favourite.
The Gel Couture Ballet Nudes range has not long launched and when I first saw the swatches on essie's Instagram, I found myself thinking 'I need to get my hands on these!' I then went and screenshotted every swatch and I'm not even joking gazed at them with heart eyes. I was going round all my whatsapps convos sending pictures like 'look at essie's new collection omg!'
Have you seen that meme on Facebook that is like 'my wife just asked which one I like best' and it's a picture of three essie nude shades. Yeah... well this post is kinda gonna be like that. And I can totally tell the difference between those three nudes as well - just in case you wondering.
So basically, I am a sucker for a pale pink nail colour. Tbh, it's all I wear on my nails these days. It's quite classy, sophisticated but still young, I think. I have a few colours that I wear on rotation and I thought with pink being the colour of 2017 ( I have just made that up btw, but in all seriousness pink is everywhere is right now) I thought I'd write up about my faves.
So let's start with one of my ultimate faves, if not THE fave. And that is essie Fiji. Oh Fiji, you are a babe. My friend Sarah says 'it's the perfect mix of white and pink' and she totally hits the nail (HEH do you get it) on the head. I swear the formula has changed, cause it's not as streaky as it used to be, in fact I find it pretty easy to apply. I tend to apply two coats, then add a quick dry top coat, and non chip top coat (posts to come on my HG top coats very soon!) and voila, it lasts for a good week on my nails. I was so happy at Christmas cause Boots put all their essie Christmas gift sets in the half price sale and I managed to pick up Fiji and a pretty silver glitter for just £6.50, that's £3.25 each. Bargain of the century. I've lost count of how many Fiji's I've bought, but it's up there as one of my favourites for that pale pink look.
Moving on to a slightly cheaper alternative to essie now, is Rose Hip by Barry M. This doesn't last as long on my nails as essie does, but it's still very pretty. It's a pale baby pink that is perfect after two coats. Also because it's from the Gelly range, it's has a super shiny finish too, faking that 'I've just been for a gel mainicure' look.
That's essie Fiji on my nails in this pic... (also please ignore my dodgy nail painting job, I promise it didn't look as bad in real life!)
My other favourite pale pink essie is Minimalistic I may have told you before why this nail polish holds a special place in my heart, but I'm going to tell you again. So basically for some unknown reason, it's pretty hard to get Minimalistic here in the UK, so I have picked this up both times from America. However, it's definitely worth the trek. It's a pale pink which is slightly less white than Fiji. It's a thinner base, but still looks really good after two coats.
So why do I love it so much? Well because, I class it as my 'enagement nail polish.'
Basically I had no idea that my trip to NYC in August 2015 was an elaborate plan. I thought I was going on a trip with my Mum and that was that. So I painted my nails an aqua colour (essie blossom dandy if you're wondering) cause I was going on holiday. Then Henry turned up, surprised me, proposed and I was like 'hmm, this blue is not what I envisioned for my nails at this moment' so that night on the way home, we made a pit stop at a drugstore for me to buy an engagement polish. Yes I wish I was joking, but you should know me well enough to know that is what I do. I chose Minimalistic as I'd been eyeing it up anyways, and I bought it, painted my nails and then showed off my ring to everyone. So it will always hold a special place in my heart, maybe it will be my wedding polish too? But I think it might be nice to get a separate one for that.
So this post was probably very hard to get the point of if you're not a fan of pink nail polish, but if you're like me then you totally need all three for your collection, because trust me they are all different. I swear.
So now is the fun part, are you a baby pink nail obsessive like me? And if so, what is your fave? I'm always open to adding new pink polishes to my collection...
Christmas is the one time of year, when you can wear as much glitter and sequins as you like and no one else can call it tacky. Or something like that. But basically 11 months of the year, I have no interest in glitter or sequins but then come December, you could throw glitter on me and I'd be like 'More! More!' My usual basic nail choices are swapped for glitter, and after I showed my current fave glitter nail look on Instagram, so many of you asked for a post on it and I thought why not show you two of my favourite usual Christmas nail looks?
So let's start with the nails that inspired this whole post, a pale pink with a gold glitter accent, which trust me was SO easy to do! I used essie Fiji (which please excuse the state of my bottle, you can tell it's very well loved!) I also used essie Rock At The Top which is a chunky gold glitter. Annoyingly when I did these just normally, they worked out perfect but when I did them for this post, they ended up looking a bit shoddy. Typical!
All I did was, put on two coats of Fiji, then popped on a quick dry top coat to ensure the colour was dry before I started to pop the glitter on. I then would take the glitter polish, and making sure the brush wasn't too loaded with glitter, because less is more here.
Then I'd literally dab on the glitter around the bottom on my nail, just dab on until there's however much glitter you like. That was it, then pop on a top coat and you are sorted.
Then I added the glitter on the tips, again just dabbing along the top of my nail, I tend to start with a little glitter then build it up bit by bit. For the accent nail, I used a little sponge and then put the glitter on this to get a more full coverage look.
I then dabbed on the glitter bit by bit, things did get a little messy, but you can always peel it off when it's dry. Then pop on a top coat and you are all set. Though let's all just try and not think about how much of a nightmare this is going to be to remove.
I've been wearing these two nail looks non stop recently, and I've had so many compliments about them. I don't think they're too difficult to do but still add a little Christmassy look without being too in your face!
So I hope you liked this post, and have found some nail inspiration this Christmas. Do you have a go to Christmas nail look?
Do you remember when you first discovered certain beauty brands and remember how excited you were? I'm hoping you're going to say yes or I'm going to seem like a little weirdo. Anyway, one brand that sticks out for me is Models Own. I remember discovering them in the summer of 2010, I think I saw them in Heat magazine which is where I discovered the majority of beauty products back in the day, and I went onto their website and fell in love with how many colours they sold. I was obsessed and I mean obsessed with nail polish at this point, and had been a Barry M girl through and through. But when I had the whole collection, I wanted more and Models Own got me excited.
Maybe I've been in hiding in a cave, or my essie knowledge isn't up to scratch, but I was genuinely surprised when the new essie Rio collection dropped through my letterbox last week. There's a new collection of essie polishes to celebrate The Olympics (can you believe it's been four years since the London Olympics? Crazy.)
But anyway shock over, the collection is full of Rio Carnvial inspired bright shades, and there's a new colour in the form of Aim To Misbehave (a bright yellow) which is the 1000th essie shade. It even has a jazzy celebratory cap. Wahoo. The other shades I am pretty sure are essie regulars, because I am sure I've seen a couple of them before such as Bahama Mama.
But let's talk about the shades, so we have Aim To Misbehave (the bright yellow I mentioned earlier which is the 1000th shade) Sunday Funday ( a bright coral flamingo pink) Aruba Blue ( a metallic deep blue) Pure Pearlifcation ( a pearly glitter) Bahama Mama ( a magenta wine) Jazzy Jubilant ( a colourful glitter) and Naughty Nautical (a teal blue colour.) All of the colours have a slight shimmer to them, which makes the colours very shiny and satin-y, which is very pretty and adds a new dimension to the shades. I'd like to think this is maybe inspired by the Olympic medals but I'm probably just making that up haha.
The collection all has the usual wide brushes which I love and are really pigmented and long lasting as always. The collection should be in Superdrug right now, and each polish is £7.99. The collection is limited edition and will be around till 23rd August, so make sure you act fast if you fancy getting your hands on any of the shades!
So who knew the Olympics is just about sport eh? Will you be buying any of the essie Rio collection?
I'm going to let you in on a secret, it's not that juicy though so don't get too excited. Soz. But here goes; I've never had false nails, press on nails or a manicure before. I know right say what? I don't know, is this a big thing or not really? Is it as shocking that I've never had a Millie's cookie till recently? Have I been living my whole life as a lie? Who knows, does anyone care? Nah.
Anyway, so I've always been quite lucky to have naturally long, hard wearing nails, I've never really seen the need to have false nails. I mean if it ain't broke why fix it? Literally. I mean I was tempted during the years of 2005-2006 when the WAG trend was at an all time high, and french manicured long false nails were up at the height of fashion with Von Dutch caps, and chunky blonde highlights. But I did desist, as well as my desire to be a WAG (why did 14 year old me think that was something to aim for?)
But recently, I've been slightly intrigued by press on nails, some of my fave bloggers and vloggers have raved about press on nails and I've thought they surely can't be that scary? I mean I've been slightly petrified of them since watching a Friends episode ( The One With The Cuffs (Season 4 ep3)) where Monica loses a false nail whilst making a quiche at one of her Mum's parties. Seeing how mortified Monica was (cause you know it's real life) really put me off. See Friends was so much more than a TV show, it really taught you valuable life lessons such as ; be wary of cooking with false nails, don't wear leather pants and that counting one Mississippi/two Mississippi isn't wise when in a tanning booth.
Anyway, let me get on to my actual post, press on nails. I've now tried them, sorry spoiler alert. Elegant Touch sent me a whole box of their new summer releases and I was like this is the perfect time to try out press on nails. After all, I've never cooked a quiche so why would I need to be so scared of them?
I tried the Take Me To Tokyo nails first, a pointy nude pair. They were a bit of a shock as they were quite long and pointy so not what I was used to at all with my normal nails. At first I felt like a witch at Halloween with those gloves you get from the pound shop. So I filed them down to make them a little more natural for me. I used the protective Nail Guards which are basically stickers to help protect your nails. I found them super fiddly, it took about over an hour to apply the nails from start to finish. I was concentrating so hard, I barely watched any Love Island. They were fiddly but once you got the hang of it, it was quite easy. You choose your nail size, which there are loads of by the way, then you apply the glue to the nail then press the nail on and voila. I had to be careful to not glue anything to myself, at one point my finger nearly got glued to my nail but I saved the situation.
No idea why my hand is such a weird colour in this photo.
The Take Me To Tokyo nails felt so weird at first, I felt like my nails were wet and I was scared to use my nails for anything. However the next day they felt normal and I decided to give them a real test. I changed the bed, did the housework, typed, done up buttons on my skirt and not one flicker of instability. In fact my first nail came off a week after applying them, I managed to get it caught in a drawer and it peeled off. But all I did then I just got the glue and stuck it back on.
After 10 days, and a couple of repairs here and there, I took them off with nail polish remover, tin foil and a cuticle stick. Which was pretty easy to do.
I then tried the Jackie pair, slightly shorter and pale pink, they were right up my street. I didn't apply the nail guards as I didn't want to spend loads of time doing my nails. However I have noticed that this pair haven't been as strong and I don't know if that's why? The first nail pinged off after two days and then every day, I've had one either disappear (thankfully not when I've been cooking) or just ping off. I've replaced them with spares or just glued them straight on. But although these haven't lasted as long ( I think this is my fault as I was lazy when I applied them and just glued them on to painted nails) but I love this pair so much. I feel like they make my fingers look elegant and less like Walls Sausages. I feel put together and I love how I don't have to worry about chipping my nail polish.
My nails seem to still be in good condition, although after I'm bored of Jackie I will have a break from press on nails for a few weeks. But I have to say I'm impressed. They're pretty sturdy (if you take the time to apply them) and you don't have to worry about them pinging off into quiches. I love how they look and I think that the Jackie could be my perfect wedding nail. I know right? Told you I was a fan.
I've got a few more pairs to try, so I'll post some instagrams of those maybe, but I have to say, I'm a convert to the press on nail.
Have you tried press on nails? If so what are your faves?
Also more importantly have you ever lost one in a quiche?
One thing you will never see me without is nail polish. Yes that may sound a little strange, but to me having bare nails is as weird as going out without your knickers on. But as much as I see wearing nail polish as an essential for me, I hate one; how long it takes to dry, and two: I hate when my nails chip. I will try to paint my nails the least amount of times that I can during the week, because you know I am a busy woman who hasn't got time to faffing around waiting for my nails to dry. Recently, I have been on a hunt to find nail polish that actually lasts on your nails, rather than basically chipping as soon as you look at your nails. And drum roll... I think I have found one.
Gel nails have always intrigued me, but with a wedding, house and Volvo to save for (just kidding I'm not grown up enough yet to save for a Volvo) I can't really justify paying money to get my nails done. Though as lovely as that would be. But I love the idea of gel nails, the fact they last longer, which would mean less time painting my nails and no unsightly chips. However, I feel I have found the next best thing.
I have recently been trying the new Miracle Gel range from Sally Hansen, which I had high hopes for. I love, love, love, Sally Hansen top coats, their non chip top coat is one of the best I have used. So when this range arrived on my doorstep, I couldn't wait to give it a try.
(I'm going to give you a spoiler alert right now, just like the Daily Mail does the morning after your favourite show airs in the US and it hasn't aired here yet, and tell you that I really like this range. )
So although this is basically the same as a salon gel manicure, but without having to leave your home and not having to use the gel light, it's incredibly easy to use. Even for someone like me who is a bit of a doughnut when it comes to painting my nails ( I usually will end up painting the majority of my fingers as well as nails.)
You paint your nails with two coats of your colour of choice ( I'm a big fan of Pink Cadillacquer and All Chalked Up) and then apply the Miracle Gel 2x Top Coat which helps to plump and add shine to your nails. Then just the natural light around you, cures your nail polish and top coat together giving you a glossier longer lasting nail. The nail polish also dries really quickly. I was a little worried that because the top coat gives your nails a thick glossy effect, it might take ages to dry but it didn't at all, so that really impressed me.
Red Eye
Pink Cadillaquer
Buffalo Nickel
All Chalked Up
I think there's over 45 shades to choose from within the range and they're £7.99 each. The brush from the nail polish is really nice and wide which I usually find makes painting your nails much easier (it's a lot harder to go wrong haha.) I've never had a gel manicure myself so I can't compare it identically, but I felt like my nails felt shinier (if that makes sense) and more plump than normal. I felt like my nail polish kept it's shine a lot longer than usual nail polishes that I use.
So how long did it actually last? That was what I was most interested in. With claims that the Miracle Gel range can last up to 14 days, it sounds pretty perfect. My nails lasted a good five/six days without chipping and during this time; I cleaned, washed up, walked frank several times, typed, peeled stickers off things, and they stayed pretty much in tact. On my right hand, the tip of my middle finger slightly chipped but everything else stayed pretty much perfect. I thought that was pretty impressive when usually I only get about 1/2 days before my nails start to chip after daily wear and tear with other brands. It also comes off super easy too, just like normal nail polish so no having to go back to a salon to have it soaked off like you do with gel nails.
So I think I will be adding some more colours to my Miracle Gel collection soon, as I am seriously impressed with how long my nails lasted chip free and how they looked shiny/plump like I'd just been for a manicure rather than doing my nails myself on the sofa watching Geordie Shore.
So have you tried the Sally Hansen Miracle Gel range?
*This post was sponsored by Sally Hansen but all thoughts and opinions are my own and are 100% honest. For more information visit my disclaimer here.
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