Fuchsia with a bit of Glitter | MANICURE MONDAY

Hello!

"a lovely shade that screams 'ME'"

Spring is well and truly upon us, and if you caught a glimpse of the Spring Nail Colour Picks, and had a little look at the Spring Inspiration Board, you'd know this colour is definitely a go-to Spring shade. Oh, and what better way to spice it up than with a bit of glitter, ey? :)

The combination is one of those, you know, the ones that you do not want to get rid of, even if it's chipping from left, right and centre? Yep, one of those! You can bet your bottom dollar that I'll be wearing this shade, if not the combo, again sometime this season.

"what better way to spice it up than with a bit of glitter, ey? :)"

In all honesty, I was going for the gold glitter, but as I only had a candle lit and the lamp on in my room (you know, to create a nice atmosphere and all), I blindly picked out the silver glitter instead. However, I loved the way it looked - everything happens for a reason, right?! 

All in all, the fuchsia is a lovely shade that screams 'ME'. Shame it was a limited edition, though! Nonetheless, I'll enjoy it while it lasts!

Tell me, if you were to pick one 'ME' shade, what would it be? 

Blue With Sparkles: Manicure Monday

Hello!

"this shade is super forgiving, and works all year round, despite the name on the bottle."

When comes a day off, comes a day to paint your nails. In the mist of February, with rain sometimes pouring like nobody's business, and other times you feeling so close to summer you can (literally) feel the sun on your skin, it's hard to decide what colour to wear on your nails. Fear not, this shade is super forgiving, and works all year round, despite the name on the bottle.

 I think naming the gel polish collection after a fruit is a trend, seeing as they also did it for the other blue shade I have from this line, see this post here. The formulation of the line is lovely, and 2 coats gives the ideal opaque finish.

Compared to the Rimmel Pro Polish's, the brush on this polish is a lot more narrow, and I'm a huge fan of the wide brushes. None-the-less, as you continue to paint your nails, the brush becomes wider and moves more freely, allowing better application.

Now it had been a while since I put on an accent nail, but having not had used this glitter topcoat in a while, I feel like it needed to go for a run. Having said that, the polish is beginning to get gloopy, yet, I'm sticking with it for now, and hopefully it still works for me next time! Who says that accent nail trend is going out of style?

As for the base and top coat, the No 7 ones, mentioned in this post, are the ones I used. My favourite thing about them is that they dry very quickly. I've always had that issue where I get prints, out of nowhere, on my nails before the polish dries - yet the No 7 top coat prevents this as they're dry before I have time to destroy them! Did I mention it's super quick drying? Well, it deserved to be said twice!

What's your in-between-seasons go to shade?

Autumn Nail Picks - 2014

Hello!

"a REAL reason for you to buy more nail polish ...we're always looking for a justification!"

The colder weather means snuggling up in knit scarves, gloves and putting on your favourite booties. It also means autumn nail shades - you know the ones I mean. It may even be a REAL reason for you to buy more nail polish (lets be honest, we're always looking for a justification!).

"range from nudes, to greys to jewel-toned red's and greens are all of which I love!"

Autumn is my favourite season, and this seasons nail colours are no different. The range from nudes, to greys to jewel-toned red's and greens are all of which I love! Never-the-less, you could of course wear whatever shade you would like to - no one is going to stop you ;)

"A staple in every girls collection!"

My Picks (from Left to Right):
FCUK grey tone (part of a previous fall collection): It's a one tone plain grey. Minimal, clean yet fit for fall.

Barry M - Cappuccino: a warmer grey shade, more of a creamy finish and by far one of my fav Barry M shades I've tried!

Barry M Magnetic - Blue: A metallic navy blue shade which has cool designs when you put a magnet over it. Not sure if I'm still into the magnet thing but the shade on it's own is awesome!

FCUK blue (part of previous fall collection): A one tone blue. Not too dark to be a navy - just the perfect mid-blue!

Ciaté - Pocket Money: The nude of my collection. You may have read about it in this post. It is a gorgeous flat nude shade and I don't know what I'd do without it!

FCUK deep purple (part of previous fall collection): The vampy, almost black shades also come out during this time of year. This is a one-tone (notice a trend?) deep purple which is a go-to if you want black, but not black!

Barry M - Red Wine: A deep red, burgundy shade which is definitely the go-to for a glam, Marilyn Monroe look. A staple in every girls collection!

That's it! Whats your favourite nail shade for Autumn 2014?

Manicure Monday: Mint Sparkles

Hello!

"you've basically seen everything before - yet this time, it's completely different."

If you were ANYWHERE in the last few weeks, you would have read this. If you read that, you would recognise something on here today. You may recognise another something if you saw this post and hence meaning you've basically seen everything before - yet this time, it's completely different.

"can we agree that the overall finish is pretty?"

Well, after all that, can we agree that the overall finish is pretty? At first, the mint shade, called Kiwi, was thought to be uber lovely by itself as a perfect summer shade but when choosing a colour to go with my outfit I wore to a wedding last week (can you tell with the henna tattoo?!?!), this one was a perfect match and to make it more wedding-y, I added some sparkle! 

Overall, that's my mani Monday - what's yours? 

Mani Monday... purchase - Barry M Gelly Kiwi

Hello! 

"Many brands are releasing the gel manicure"

A slightly different type of Mani Monday for you... This time a haul/purchase! Nevertheless, I'm sure it'll soon be featured as a proper Mani Monday sometime soon! 

"a mint colour was needed in my collection"

Many brands are releasing the gel manicure type of polished and I reel that Barry M were one of the first. The 'Gelly' line has been out for at least a year now as I had owned the 'Watermelon' and 'Blood. Orange' last summer and they are lovely, but not very bright, hence a mint colour was needed in my collection! 

"kiwis are meant to be green whereas this is more of a mint shade"

The one thing that can be confusing is the names to the colours, for example, the shade 'watermelon' does not look like the colour of a watermelon! And kiwis are meant to be green whereas this is more of a mint shade! It's a bit confusing but I guess it's all fun anyway! Let's be honest, the name doesn't REALLY matter yet the OPI names are very funny and make me want to buy them even more - but it doesn't really matter!

Have you tried Gel finish nail polishes yet?

Nude at the Beach - ft. Ciate | Mani Monday

Hello!

Incase you didn't read the last two words of the title, it is a manicure monday - and just FYI I wasn't nude at the beach! :)

"The accent nail is a little added bonus bling"

I know this combination may not be your cup of tea, I was originally going for an orange and blue, but found I don't own the right orange so the next best was the nude - and I love it.

"I now can say it's my favourite nude"

Having owned the Ciate polish for a while now, I had only worn it once - this being the second time and I now can say it's my favourite nude. The accent nail is a little added bonus bling, creating correlations to the seaside - hence the idea of 'Nude at the Beach'!

"the next best was the nude - and I love it"

The perfect summer mani IMO, and I must say, the packing for Ciate is so gorgeous!

Have you tried Ciate, if so what's your favourite shade? 

Manicure Monday: Pastels are Back - Ice Cream Purple

Hello!

What is THE biggest trend for Summer pretty much every year?

Yep it's Pastels. That means there are pastel bags, pastel clothes and.... inevitably pastel nails! 

Pastels are said to make one look tanner and more summer ready! The most popular pastels would probably be the pastel pinks and whites - you know what I mean if you read this post. 

I was going for a pastel pink but opted for a pastel PURPLE this time round and I love it! It's slightly different yet also in the same pastel family.

This particular shade is Barry M Nail Paint in Ice Cream Purple - I've always loved Barry M for their quality and for this shade I needed 2 coats for an opaque finish.

What's on your favourite Pastel shade?

Manicure Monday: Goddess - Rimmel by Kate Moss

Hello!

The sun is peaking out from behind the clouds (about time, it IS June) in the UK and quite possibly where you are too! That means the darker shades are to be put away and lighter, brighter shades bought out for the season. Being a fan of Nudes and Taupes, this was a lovely colour I was dying to try since receiving it with the Rimmel by Kate Mascara - see post here.

It's a lovely shade, less coral than I would have adored but a lovely shade, anyway. It is basically a complete white with a tiny bit of orangey/pink added to it - know what I mean?

In terms of applying it, the brush is SUPER wide but short, so you cover a large amount of nail at a time - making it really quick to do your polish! 

See the Shimmer?

You can just about see it, but the shade has a slight pearly shimmer (see picture above) which you cannot spot when on your nails. In fact, the colour looks more matte on the nails. 

Have you tried the Rimmel by Kate Moss line yet?

Manicure Monday - the Brightest of Purples

Hello!

Happy Monday! I hope you're well and enjoying the Spring Weather (or Winter weather, depending where you are in the World)!
Considering that it is Spring in London, I wanted to pick a colour that would suit the season and my preferences! I love deeper colours and this one really was exactly what I wanted!

This Barry M shade caught my eye, and it turned out beautiful! 

I did put on quite a few coats as I like the colour to be opaque, yet one/two coats would have easily been enough!

I love the shade range that Barry M have, a lot of which I have acquired in my collection!
I love that the shade is perfect for this season and suits my preferences!

What's your favourite nail polish brand? 

Mani Monday: Denim Blue

Hello!

After about 2 months, yes you read that right - 2 MONTHS, of having bare nails, I thought it was about time to paint them again. I had gotten used to seeing them bare, but couldn't bare it any longer! (see what I did there?! haha)

Being it Spring time, it's usually the time to whip out the denim. This, as well as the blue trend I mentioned in the last nail post, it was nice to take advantage.

I went with a blue from FCUK, and didn't realise how much I love nail polish!

What shade are you currently wearing, or are you bare like I was?!

New OPI Brazil Collection - SS14

Hello! 

The sun is finally peaking out from behind the clouds now meaning it's a good time to talk about Brazil. Well, OPI's new Brazil SS14 Collection, that is! 

I am a huge fan of OPI for many a reasons, one being the very creative names on probably every nail colour they have and the second being how on point they are with the trends of the season. Now, don't get me wrong, this doesn't mean I buy every new OPI Nail Polish released, in fact most of my polish are not OPI, yet I do find myself painting my nails in similar shades to their recent collections!

So, these are the colours for Spring Summer 2014:

The Brazil Collection consists of mostly creme finishes with both neutrals and brights. I have seen the bright yellow colour in many SS14 collections, so that will be a bit hit this season.

Out of this collection my favourites would be 'I Såo Paulo Over There' and 'Toucan Do It If You Try' - see what I mean by the names?! I love taupes and coral, so these shades are 'right up my alley'.

What do you think of the collection and your favourite shades?

Polish Images Source

Manicure Monday - Matte GunMetal

Hello! 

I love the look of freshly painted nails - it's a nice aspect to change as it is easy to do so and can make a difference! I swear I pick the colours of the polish depending on my mood!

Being a fan of the Matte Nail Polish trend, I again picked up the matte topcoat to paint my nails! I used Barry M 'Dusky Mauve'. I am in love with this polish. It is a Grey with Purple Shimmer.

Adding the Rimmel Matte Top Coat meant that the polish lost it's purple shimmer and is left with a gunmetal-y grey colour.

I've got to say I really like the way the matte topcoat turned out on this polish. It completely changed the look of it can I can't stop touching my nails. Others have mentioned how good it looks and feels (… yes people actually felt my nails!)...

Using the Matte Topcoat in the LAST Mani Monday was not as effective as it turned out this time. I am really pleased with it. Unfortunately last time my nails chipped quickly - having not enough experience with the Matte Topcoat, I'm not sure if it was that or another reason why the polish chipped so quickly, I'll keep you updated!

Are you in for the Matte Nails trend?

Manicure Monday - OPI dupe Edition

Hello!

If you read this blog last week then you would have seen the post of OPI's new collection: Raw Granite. I did mention that you can dupe the shades with a bit of tweaking of the polishes you have and guess what I did? Yep, I tried it! So, obviously, you had to know, right?! haha!

Well, the colour I tried to dupe was Lapis. This is one of the new polishes out from that collection. Actually, my friend had the polish on and when I asked her she said it was from OPI's new collection - so obviously I screamed and started jumping up and down because I had posted the blog post about it the day before I saw her wearing it… anyway, so it encouraged me even more to try to dupe it!

As you know from previous Mani Mondays, I love Barry M - their quality is amazing and the price is perfect! Using a sparkle top coat - with a very light hand - achieved the diamond sparkle look that the OPI polishes have, and finally using the Rimmel Matte Top Coat made the finish matte, the same finish as the OPI polish!

Shades:
Blue = Barry M, Christmas Blue
Glitter = Barry M, Yellow Topaz
Matte Finish = Rimmel, Pro Matte Finish


I think it turned out okay!
What do you think, what's your manicure for this week? Oh, and if you would like to see a review of the Matte Top Coat, let me know!

New OPI Collection: Raw Granite

Hello!

Happy Monday!  For the last week or so (feels like forever) I've left my nails bare - so, it's definitely time to give them a fresh coat! I was looking for some new nail colours that are out right now to give me inspiration on what colour to paint my nails next and came across this beautiful collection by OPI: Raw Granite.

You may have heard of Granite being used as one of the more expensive counter tops for your kitchen, yet heard of OPI's new collection: Raw Granite?
Well, the shades are worth looking into and reading about!

via OPI

These all have a Matte Textured finish and have Diamond Dust in them too - doesn't that sound lovely!
These polishes can either go edgy with a matte look or you can go elegant by applying a top coat and letting the diamond dust do its magic!

via source

"Lapis" and "Pewter" are the late comers in terms of this collection and have recently been released. The gorgeous gunmetal and navy shades are perfect for Winter 2014 and have already been a big hit.

I love the way these look and if you have a similar colour at home, but not in a matte finish, do what I did in my other Mani Monday post and apply a matte top coat - trust me, it does wanders and makes the polish you're wearing look a different colour! I will try it and let you know how it looks!

Oh, and before I leave you with a question of the day, let's just admire the beauty of the packing that OPI have come up with!

What do you think of Diamond Dust in nail polish? Over the top or pretty cool? 

New Years Manicure Monday!

Hello!

Again with time flying by way to fast right now, there are a matter of hours before New Years Eve now - that means it's time for a Manicure Monday!!

So, I have been LOVING taupe right now and wanted to paint my nails that shade last week, yet due to Christmas I couldn't bring myself to NOT paint my nails red! Therefore, this means that New Years is going to be taupe!

Now, if you're anything like me, then New Years Eve is nothing without a bit of glitter - hence calling for an accent nail!

These shades are:
 Barry M Mushroom and Barry M Amethyst

What shade did you go for for New Years?!
 Oh, and I hope you have a fun and safe day, and will have a post up in 2014! Gosh, that's seems way weird to say! Oh my goodness, that rhymed! :O

Manicure Monday - Christmas Edition!

Hello!

Literally 2 days until Christmas Day!! Does it feel more festive-y now? I mean even on Saturday night did it feel like a normal weekend!

Anyway, so it being a Monday and having freshly painted nails obviously means it's time for a Manicure Monday! Taking advantage of the date, it had to be a Christmas-y one! I was debating on whether to write this post or not as I have written a similar one before! I had received so many compliments on that Mani, I thought I had to do it again…

So, I wasn't one for a legit nail art manicure this year, I'm more for the simple but glam ideology right now - therefore, red and gold glitter it was!

What is your Mani like for Christmas?