Christmas Nail Art Ideas

With Christmas fast approaching (is it really a mere four days away) I decided to create three basic, fun, effective yet completely unoriginal nail art designs perfect for the upcoming festivities. I may have a certificate in shellac, but when it comes to nail art my skills are basic to say the least (one of my New Years Resolutions will definitely be to attend a Pro Nails, Nail Art Course) so the above ideas are simple and fuss free to re create. The only tool needed is a steady hand, or the perfect nail art cheats, que a novices best friends, the Models Own and Barry M Pens.

First up we have Snowflakes. For the base I used two coats of Sephora's Jacuzzi, a beautiful pale blue. I then went on to use the Barry M Pen to create the flakes (similarly you could use a thin brush) finally I applied a coat of Ciate's Halo, a fabulous holographic top coat. With hints of pink, purple and blue this really creates the perfect finish. 

Next up we have the customary sparkly candy canes (without a doubt my favourite of the three). For the base I applied two coats of Ciate's Mistress, a vibrant tomato red (one coat would be sufficient) and two coats of Ciate's enchanted rose (cant beat a hint of sparkle). It will come as no suprise that I simply used the Models own Pen to create the stripes. I can guarantee that this design will adorn my nails Christmas day (remember an outfit is not complete without a mani). 

Finally, last but certainly not least we have some Christmas puddings. For this design I used three coats of Nails Inc's Upper Regent Street (its sadly a rather streaky polish) a gorgeous chocolate brown shade, I then used the Models Own Pen to re create the icing and Ciate's Mojito and Mistress to create the holly. 

Have you attempted any Christmas Nail Art?

I would love to see your ideas if you have!! 

Breakfast At Tiffany's

 I have a small confession, I have been slacking on the blogging front of late, so much so that this post has patiently been awaiting its time in the limelight, sat neglected in a sea of drafts, for a good week or so, oops. 

Lately I have found myself flicking through Pinterest most nights, hours after my boyfriend has turned off the lights and fallen into the land of nod (I wish I could just fall asleep like he does ha). I have been a lover of pinboards/mood-boards since my textiles days in Secondary School. When my unimpressed teacher would threaten to take away my folder if I dare add one more picture of Mrs Beckham in that fabulous pink tutu dress to my ever growing mood-board, or changed my front cover for the 10th time (you think im joking?! sadly this is the honest truth ha). Im digressing here as always, but no, seriously, Pinterest is a mood-board addicts dream.

My usual targets are those pins containing beautifully dressed women (I aspire to be that fashionable one day), dreamy designer handbags (everyone needs a Chanel bag that looks like lego right?) and page after page of the latest and greatest cosmetics to brace your local beauty counters. However lately I have found myself endlessly scrolling through Tiffany&Co inspired pins. 

So when the lovely Nicole asked me to write a guest post while she was away on her jolly holidays, I saw it as the perfect opportunity to get my 'Tiffany geek on', log on to Pinterest and have a go at one of the thousands of duck egg blue nail art designs I find myself repining on a daily basis (dedication or madness il let you decide). 

If you'd like to know how I created the above design, then please please take a minute to check out the post here... While you there I would love it if you took a look at Nicole's lovely blog. 

Are you a serial repinner?! 

Note: Nicole actually published this post last week, so my bad on being so slow!! 

NOTD: Dutch-Ya Just Love OPI?

Opening up my May birchbox I couldn't help but let out a little squeal when I caught a glimpse of this beautiful polish sitting pretty at the bottom of the box! Dutch- Ya Just Love OPI? A deep creamy purple with red and gold shimmer running throughout was originally released last year as part of the Holland Collection!! Thinking that it couldn't get much prettier, Dutch-Ya Just Love OPI? is truly eye catching once greeted with natural light. 

Like all OPI polishes Dutch-Ya Just Love OPI? has a great formula and becomes opaque with just two coats!! Unlike any other shade in my collection, a hard task with a drawer brimming full of every colour of the rainbow and then some (sadly im not kidding) this beautiful polish has safely made its way to the top of my ever bulging drawer. 

After falling for its shimmery charm, im now resisting the urge to track down the other shades that were released in the collection!! 

Have you tried Dutch-Ya Just Love OPI?! 

Barry M Nail Art Pens

I have made no secret that I am a massive nail addict, and it sadly takes very little for me to fall for a beautiful glitter, a fabulous neon, pastels, nudes (even new/limited packaging), and dont even get me started on anything nail art related. Caviar beads, fur, glitter you name it and I will try it (does this count as living on the wild side? sigh). With lots of new and beautiful shades being released left, right and centre, I have finally given in to the reality that this is a love affair/obsession that is never going to go away. 

Whether your a nail art pro or like myself somewhat of a novice (even if I do have enough nail polish to have a stand in my local boots), Barry M will have you going gaga over their new nail art pens, and will help to create quite simply the perfect manicure!!

Unlike conventional nail art pens with 'squeezy tubes' that more often than not ruin your beautiful work of art, these beauties are unlike no other (well what I have seen at least). With thick, sturdy packaging, these pens with plastic nibs could easily be mistaken for a set of sharpies. To release the polish you simply need to shake the pen generously, push down on the nib once or twice, and your good to go. The bulky packaging makes it easier to grip the pen and in return create more precise designs. 

As you may have guessed from the picture above, I may or may not have had a little bit too much fun playing around with the pens. The polish itself dries pretty quick, so theres no need to sit around, flapping your hands and waiting for them to dry (tell me im not the only one that does this!!) 

The Barry M nail art pens cost a pretty reasonable £4.99, and are currently part of the 3 for 2 offer in superdrug. Colour wise the range includes the silver, white and black pictured about, aswell as a gorgeous baby pink (fellow nail addicts had already snapped these up by the time I made my visit to superdrug). I will be honest with you all, if more colours are released (Barry M please please please release some more) there may be the risk of a new collection forming in my ever crowded drawer!! 

Will you be picking up any of the Barry M Nail Art Pens?? 

Loreal Top coat confetti

Whilst sat here in a chocolate induced stooper I thought I would share with you my latest polish obsession. Lets face it speckled nails are the latest nail trend to hit the scene, and its easy to see why!!

Although Loreal's confetti top coat may leave your nails resembling a mini egg, the result, although sweet, will in no way effect your waistline (im already regretting consuming a giant cadbury egg for breakfast), and best of all is a little kinder to the bank balance compared to similar options out there, with its £4.99 price tag (kerchiiing).

Photos really do not do Loreal's confetti any justice. With just two coats applied over Ciate's vintage, confetti took a simple manicure from drab to fab, with the help of mismatched chunks of black and white glitter (aswell as  the added bonus of a hint of shimmer). Personally I think the top coat confetti would look perfect over most shades, especially nudes and greys. Applied over pastel shades Confetti has the ability to be a perfect alternative for the Illamasqua speckled polishes also creating a stir on the beauty scene. 

What do you make of the speckled trend? 

Have you tried Loreal's Top Coat Confetti?

Etude House Sweet Recipe Ice Cream nails

With an array of fabulous products in whimsical packaging that wouldn't go amiss on a little girls dressing table, its hardly surprising that I (along with many others I may add) am completely smitten with the beautiful collections Etude House have to offer.

With the prospect of spring just within reach, I have found myself longing for the days I can throw on my favourite summer dress, dust off my flip flops and head to the beach. So you can imagine the excitement when I laid eyes on these polishes from the Korean Company's latest collection. lets face it if you could put beautiful summer days in a teeny bottle and add an ice cream cone lid for effect, this would be the result. With its cutesy name and packaging (sweet recipe), its hard to believe that the collection is in fact based around The Brothers Grimm tale of Hansel and Gretel. However like the plot of the fairytale, im sure the packaging alone would be enough temptation to lure in any beauty addict young or old.

I was rather restrained with my purchase and opted for two of the four polishes within the collection. My picks were sparkling Strawberry Sherbet and Sweet and Sour Apricot Candy. When these arrived on the doorstep, my inner child may have just had a little dance at the sight of these beautiful pastel shades infused with plenty of glitter (just looking at them makes me go a little giddy).
The formula for both polishes are a little sheer, however after two to three coats your left with a beautiful opaque finish. Above you can see the results of strawberry sherbet after one coat and apricot candy after three. My only niggle would be that the glitter is somewhat sparse with strawberry sherbet and a little more effective with the other.
In terms of the packaging I think the photos do the talking, ridiculously quirky yet still practical whats not to love. However if your not one for gimmicks then you may not be a fan of the Ice cream based bottles.

I purchased the Etude House Sweet Recipe Ice cream nails from eBay

What do you think of the Sweet Recipe polishes?

NOTD Chevron Accent Nail

Lets face it, Chevrons (that oh so familiar zig zag pattern), seem to be the latest 'in thing'. Log into the likes of Instagram, Tumblr & Etsy and you will be faced with Chevron adorned items from Cork boards (check out Abby's post) and display trays, to Jewellery and Nail art. 

After seeing Polish Art Addictions Chevron inspired nails, I decided to give her beautiful design a go.

Its certainly not perfect, but for a first attempt im pretty darn pleased. 

To create the above design I first applied Models Own's Snow White to my middle finger. While I waited for it to dry I used two coats of Ciate's Ladylike luxe and Models Own's Juicy Jules, on my ring finger, and Ciate's Jellybean on the other nails. 

To create the chevrons I painted tape with the above black Models own nail art pen, and began cutting out small zig zag shapes. Once Snow White had dried I applied my just cut Chevrons to the nail, and tah dah, my attempt of a Chevron Accent nail was complete!!! 

What do you think of the Chevron Craze?

Have you attempted a similar Accent nail? If so please send me your links, I would love to take a peek!

NOTD MUA Fluff & Cuddles

Hello lovelies, I hope your all well. 
 So when I saw pictures on Instagram of MUA's version of the velvet manicure  aptly named the "fur-effect nails" , I knew I needed to take a trip to Superdrug. Forever wanting to try something new I couldn't wait to get my hands on these Ciate inspired dupes. 

The fur effect collection contains five different shades of fluffy delights. Fluffy Bobbin (deep blue), Fluff and Cuddles (a deep pink/mauve shade), Fuzzy Fluff (bright pink), Boo Boo Fluff (bright light blue), Fluffy Puff (baby Pink). With the £2 price tag I had to stop myself from purchasing them all, however I sensibly opted for two, Fluffy puff (post here) and Fluff and Cuddles.

Fluff and Cuddles is a gorgeous dark pink/mauve shade, which also looks red in some lighting. 

To create the above look all you need to do is;

• Prep nails with your choice of polish. I opted for Nails Inc's Victoria, a gorgeous deep oxblood red colour the perfect shade to create a contrast.

• Then apply a second coat
• Whilst wet press your nail down into the fluffy pot, until covered (I only applied fluffy puff to ring finger)
• Finally brush excess off, Its as easy as that

MUA's fur-effect nails, is a rather effective and easy form of nail art. Like I mentioned in my previous post the only gripe I have is that the fur gets dirty rather quickly, and who wants dirty looking nails. 

Have you tried fur-effect nails??

What do you think of this furry trend??

NOTD..MUA Fluffy Puff

Lets face it Ciate seem to be the crème de la crème of nail art. First there was the release of Caviar nails, and now there is the anticipated release of the velvet manicure . In all honesty no matter how much I may love the designs I find the prices extortionate for nail art that will more than likely be a fad. So when I saw pictures on Instagram of MUA's version of the velvet manicure  aptly named the "fur-effect nails" , I knew I needed to take a trip to Superdrug. 

The fur effect collection contains five different shades of fluffy delights. Fluffy Bobbin (deep blue), Fluff and Cuddles (a deep pink/mauve shade), Fuzzy Fluff (bright pink), Boo Boo Fluff (bright light blue), Fluffy Puff (baby Pink). With the £2 price tag I had to stop myself from purchasing them all, however I sensibly opted for two, Fluff and Cuddles (post to come) and Fluffy Puff. 

A gorgeous baby pink, fluffy puff is perfect for jazzing up a basic manicure, and best of all its easy enough for even the biggest novice (myself included). 

To create the above look all you need to do is;

• Prep nails with your choice of polish. 

I opted for Ciate's Cutie Pie, a fellow baby pink and the perfect companion to fluffy puff.

• Then apply a second coat
• Whilst wet press your nail down into the fluffy pot, until covered (I only applied fluffy puff to ring finger)
• Finally brush excess off, Its as easy as that

MUA's fur-effect nails, is a rather effective and easy form of nail art. The only gripe I have is that the fur gets dirty rather quickly. 

Have you tried fur-effect nails??

What do you think of this furry trend??

NOTD Feeling Nautical

Nail Art tools- Ebay 

Ciate Cupcake Queen, magic Carpet, Power Dressing

Models Own Snow White 

I cannot deny it, my biggest weakness has to be nail polish, nothing beats browsing a makeup stand and admiring all the fabulous shades on offer, or the feeling of buying a brand new polish, having to road test the shade immediately (I have issues ha). This weakness has no signs of disappearing any time soon and the love affair is only fueled further due to having best friends that share this ever growing obsession. So its hardly surprising that one of my Christmas presents from one of my fellow nail addicts was well, nail related. Iv'e been eyeing up nail art tools for quite some time, yet never got around to purchasing them. Unwrapping the rather lovely purple tools, I couldn't help but plan nail related ideas in my head. Being the novice that I am, I opted for..uh well stripes, and in all honesty I ended up using the nail art pen more so than the tools (tut tut). 

I was rather unoriginal with my design, and based it upon this NOTD from the Beauty Department. For the base coat I used Ciate's Power Dressing, and opted for Ciate's Cupcake queen on my ring finger (ah such a blogging cliche). I then used models Own's Snow white to create the stripes aswell as Models Own's White Nail art pen. Finally I used Cupcake Queen and Magic Carpet along with one of the pens to create little hearts. 

Il be the first to say that its definitely not perfect, but for a first attempt Im quite pleased!! 

Ciate Advent Christmas Countdown.. Days 6-13

6. Angel Wings... 7. Cutie Pie... 8. Vintage... 9. Mistress... 10. Ladylike Luxe... 11. Bumble Bee... 12. Twilight... 13. Glass Slipper

Hello lovelies, I hope your all well, and feeling festive! After consuming one to many glasses of homemade mulled wine, and eating one to many portions of Christmas Dinner with friends I am well and truly wrapped up in the spirit of Christmas. I seriously cannot believe that its a mere 11 days till Christmas, and a sad 10 days left of the Ciate Advent Calender. Being the nail addict that I am I have thoroughly enjoyed opening a brightly coloured door each morning to be greeted with miniature glass bottles, filled with fabulous shades, adorning a little black bow. So although I will be ex tactic to see Christmas morning arrive, I will also be sad to open the last door of my advent (I think theres a gap in the market, and a yearly calender should be released ha). 

So behind the doors of days 6-12 theres been yet another bottle full of beautiful Caviar beads, aptly named Bumble Bee due to the mix of yellow and black shades. A shimmery silver and a gorgeous gold. An unexpected new faviourite to my collection in the form of Vintage, a creamy dark grey with a somewhat green tint to it. Two classic shades Cutie Pie a creamy baby pink, and Mistress a creamy bright red.Twilight a stunning black with gold flecks that run throughout, and last but not least one of my faviourite shades so far a beautiful bright blue glitter polish 'glass slipper', a limited edition exclusive to the advent. 

On the Fifth day of Christmas my true love gave to me...

Ciate's Cabaret... 

Cabaret is a gorgeous deep shade of purple, a shade very much similar to Models Own's Purple Grey!! In all honesty I found this streaky to apply unlike the others I have received so far, and after three coats I still feel like it could do with another! On top of this my brush was a little damaged, but ah well, its a lovely shade none the less. What did you lovely lot think of Door number 5? On a side note I adore the quote on the inside of the door, wise words from Coco Chanel. 

On the Fourth day of Christmas my true love gave to me...

Ciate's Caviar Pearls in Prom Queen...

 I really like the treat behind door number 4, it gives nail addicts the opportunity to try the Caviar trend without the £18 price tag!!  When it comes to painting my nails, a nail art pen is the most imaginative I ever get. So the prospect of a bottle full of little beads leaves me a little overwhelmed, but im definitely up for the nail art challenge after seeing what can be achieved.