Sweet Manicure

Hey guys

Today's manicure has got to be one of my recent favourite. It isn't particularly difficult but I just love the classic-ness (not a word) of it.

It's just a simple nude polish with a hint of white.

The colour combo reminds me of one of the sweets you can get in dolly mixtures and I actually craved them after doing this manicure but still sadly haven't had any. I wish I could say it's because of my health eating plan but it's mainly due to my laziness and not being bothered to go to the shops.

I used one of the nude polishes from Maybelline's color show range and added a bit of white at the bottom.

I also used my matte top coat that I'm totally obsessed with that I mentioned in my recent Superdrug haul to finish off the mani.

It did annoyingly chip slightly quite quickly (which explains my thumb) but apart from that I was quite pleased with the result. 

What do you guys think?

Thanks for reading! 

Tip Top Nail Polishes Review*

Hey guys

This review is super late. I received these over the Easter holidays but back then I was preparing for my exams and super stressed that I wasn't even blogging then. I just remembered I hadn't written up my review for the polishes (only mentally) so here it is.

I received 5 polishes from them, 3 'normal' ones and 2 'special efffects' ones.

 

They are a South African company who were looking for bloggers to review their products and I'm always looking for new nail polishes to try so I contacted them to see if they wanted UK bloggers.

I've only tried 'No Way Rose' and 'Feeling Blue-Tiful' properly and so far I'm liking them. They also contain Vitamin E, which is good for the nails so helps strengthen them as well while having the polish on. I've gone 3-4 days with them and no chipping which I have to say is amazing as I've tried so many polishes, even those that claim to be chip free for 7 days which turn out not to be. However, I have found that they do need a couple of coats which is slightly annoying.

Unfortunately, I don't see as of yet where in the UK you can buy their polishes which is a shame as they have a beautiful range of colours and would be interested in purchasing a few of them.

However, you can check out their website to find out more about them and where you can buy their polishes if you're fortunate enough to live in a place where they are sold.

Has anybody else tried Tip Top nail polishes? If you find somewhere that you can buy them from, do let me know.

Thanks for reading.

Superdrug Haul (Nail polish edition)

Hey guys

I'm a massive fan of Superdrug and often find myself browsing the make up section totally forgetting what I came in for in the first place.

Recently, I bought a few nail polishes. I know I've bought quite a few recently but I think I'm done for a month or so. These polishes featuring in this haul were not all bought at the same time. I just decided to put them all together in this one haul.

The first 2 polishes are from Beauty UK. It's been a while since I've bought Beauty UK polishes and I was looking for some polishes that had nice colours (that I didn't already have) and wouldn't break the bank. These cost £2.99 each.

 

I then got 2 of Maybelline's latest limited edition polishes in their color show range costing £3.99 each.

At the time, Superdrug were doing a 3 for 2 offer so I decided to pick up a matte coat from GOSH. I have been wanting a matte coat for ages and I was aware that Barry M were due to release a matte coat (which is actually cheaper) but I didn't want to wait. I think

this cost me £4.99 (can't quite remember)

I can't wait to try all these out especially the matte coat and I'll let you know how I get on with them and I'll be sure to share my designs with you.

What hauls have you done lately? Do let me know as I need to find new things to buy next month after pay day!

Thanks for reading!

Bésame Lipstick Review*

Hey guys

Last month I received a lipstick* from Bésame to review. I must say, beforehand I was not aware of this brand but I saw they were looking for beauty bloggers so I got in contact.

They are company specialising in vintage cosmetics which explains the delicate design of their products. When I first opened the package I was taken aback by the design of it. I've never seen such a beautiful lipstick case and it comes with it's own little cute bag to carry it in.

 

This lipstick is in shade Dusty Rose. It is a shimmery pink shade. 

 


I tend to love matte polishes which this isn't but I quite like this one as my lips are quite pink, this lipstick leaves my lips looking nicely polished so it's great for everyday wear. It lasts quite a while considering it's not a matte lipstick, about 4 hours.

RRP is £22 which is standard high end price which I personally find a bit pricey for any lipsticks as I don't wear them everyday, but considering the vintage design of this lipstick, £22 seems a reasonable price. 

They have a nice collection of shades of lipsticks and also other types of cosmetics which you can find on their website or you can find a list of stockists here

Have any of you guys tried any Bésame products? What did you think of them and which ones would you recommend?

Thanks for reading! 

(Throwback) Manicure Monday

Hey guys

This week's manicure is a bit of a throwback. I actually did this manicure last month but because of my exams I didn't get a chance to post it up when I wanted to.

For ages I had been saying I wanted to get dotting tools. Then as I was going through my various nail art tools I came across one! I was so happy as it meant I could try dotting designs and could also save a bit of money for the mean time.

I kept it simple as it was my first time and also I didn't have that much time. I was pretty tired from the library and had to get up early but by force I had to paint my nails.

Here is the result:

 I used Bourjois' nail polish is Violet Couture as the base colour

 Then I used 2 Barry M polishes in Lilac and White for the dots

I'm pleased with the results despite the rush and it being my first time using dotting tools.

I think I'll be doing a lot more dotting designs.

Any of you guys fan of dotting designs? 

Thanks for reading!

Beauty Bay Haul

Hey guys

As I mentioned in my previous posts, I did quite a bit of shopping over my exam period. Online shopping is very therapeutic but it is also very dangerous. I definitely spend more online than when in a shop.

However, it has been ages since I've been shopping so I think I did go a bit overboard but gave myself a limit in each site.

My first haul is from Beauty Bay. I actually came across this site by mistake and now I'm hooked. I came looking for a good top coat that I had been recommended by Claire and Nic and as I was looking for a place to buy it cheaper I stumbled across Beauty Bay. I noticed they had a sale and I was trying to comfort myself after bad exams and since it had been a while since I bought nail polish so I thought I'd give the nail polish section a  quick browse. Big mistake. My basket originally hit about £50-60 and I was fully about to pay it and then quickly calmed down and transferred a few to my save for later basket.

I decided on 3 polishes and a clear coat which is actually a base coat (annoyingly didn't know at the time) but am planning to also use as a top coat and see what happens.

As a self proclaimed nail polish addict I'm ashamed to say I have never bought or tried O.P.I or China Glaze nail polishes but I have heard great things and they had colours perfect for summer that I thought I might as well use this opportunity to try them out.

I'm definitely coming back to buy some more.

The shades are beautiful. I particularly love the China Glaze polishes as they are pastel colours and I love pastels especially during summer. 

The Seche clear top coat was originally £6.99 but is now £5.94

 OPI Aphrodites Pink Nightie was originally £11.95 but is now £6.93 

China Glaze At Vase Value was originally £6.95 but is now £4.38

China Glaze Spring in My Step was originally £6.95 but is now £4.38

I'm in love with these colours and I can't wait to do some summer nail art designs with them which I will share with you.

I highly recommend giving them a visit ( I most definitely will again). They have free shipping and even though my total didn't qualify for next day delivery I still received them the next day! It was such a pleasant surprise and exactly what I needed considering the week I was having.

Have any of you got some great deals from Beauty Bay and do you have any shades/brands nail polish to recommend as I'm trying to widen my nail polish collection.

Thanks for reading!

Watercolour flowers mani (GUEST POST)

Hey Everyone! 

Today I am going to be filling in for August while she concentrates on her exams, which I'm so excited about!

First just a quick bit about me and my blog. I'm fairly new to blogging as I only started in January and I mainly blog my nail designs and tutorials (although the odd beauty/make up posts make it in there now and again!). Doing my nails is just a hobby for me and something I love doing, and my blog is my own little space where I can share my designs and ideas with other people that love nails as much as me!

So today I've got a cute little design to show you all using (my favourite) Barry M polishes. 

To recreate this design you will need the following Barry M polishes:

Huckleberry (the blue used for the base colour)

Rose Hip (baby pink used for the flowers)

White, Gold and Key Lime (used for the small details on the bird)

Black, white and pink nail art pens

I've tried to create a watercolour style design for the mani, with the dark blacks and bright pink of the flowers. I wanted to do something quite challenging as well for the design so I added the tiny bird to my ring finger, as an accent.

The design is much easier to create than it looks. Just choose a nice light colour as your base colour so everything stands out. Then draw the flowers on freehand and just see how they turn out. The bird took a bit more work, and a lot of concentrating to get it looking just right, but I'm glad I put the effort in, because I love how it turned out! 

 

So I hope you like my design today, and that you all think I have been a worthy guest blogger for August!

Nicole x  

NOTD

Hey guys

I unfortunately missed this week's manicure monday but I didn't really feel like waiting a whole week so I decided to put up my current manicure!

It's exam time which is a pretty stressful time at the moment for me so I like to take some time out to chill and do my nails.

This design was created using a new polish I received from Tip Top Nails (which I will do a review of later).

 

Then I used my favourite nail art tools to jazz it up a bit.

 

A simple design but what do you guys think?

Thanks for reading!!

#2014bloggerchallenge- nail art made easy

Hey guys

This #2014bloggerchallenge is all about nails! As a nail blogger you would think this would be an easy topic for me. However, since I regularly post about nails, I've been trying to come up with a post that isn't similar to my usual nail related posts.

So I thought I would talk about ways to make nail art easy. 

I'm a massive lover of nail art and people have said to me they don't have the time, skill or patience for it. To be totally honest I feel that way too. I've seen some intricate drawings and I definitely don't have the time, skill or patience for that. I prefer designs with shapes and stripes so I thought I would share a few ways I create my nail art:

1. Striping tape

If you regularly read my blog you'll know that I love striping tape. Out of the techniques I'll be giving this is the 'hardest' one because it requires patience and a steady hand but apart from that I wouldn't say it's that hard. It can be of putting because of the patience required but once you get over that hurdle it's simple. You can create as many stripes as you want, with as many layers as you want. You can just go crazy with it! You can read more about it here



2. Top coat

Using a top coat is such an easy way to get an artistic effect. You just put them over the base colour of your choice and you're done! I remember the crackle top coats that I used years ago but at the moment, I'm loving Maybelline's color show street artist range. They create such cool effects, and they last! I would totally recommend them.

3. Textured nail polish

These are another simple way to jazz up your nails. They just add that little extra to a simple mani. These type of nail polishes create an effect on your nails For example, I like to use Sally Hansen's sugar coat. There are loads more out there but these are my current favourite.

4. Nail brushes

These are handy to have and I quite enjoy using these when I can't be bothered with striping tape. 

5. Nail Stamps

I am actually yet to try nail stamps but from what I've seen they are an easy to create those intricate looking designs. As soon as I get my hands on some I'll be sure to let you guys see

6. Dotting/marbling tools

These are another set of accessories that I am yet to try but have seen some beautiful designs with. The dotting tool helps to create uniform dots and the marbling tools create a water effect.


Places to buy accessories:

Born Pretty Store sell great accessories such as nail stamps and striping tape for low prices with free worldwide shipping! I also happen to have a code giving 10% so feel free to use that as well: (ATX31)

eBay also sell great accessories but sometimes you have to search for the cheaper ones and some may come from abroad requiring a longer wait. If you're from the UK like me, there are some UK sellers, and some with free shipping! As a matter of fact, all my Sally Hansen polishes have been bought from eBay at a much cheaper price than from Superdrug or Boots.


I hope you have enjoyed this post. Sorry it's a bit longer than usual, I can talk about nail art for days...
Have you got any other suggestions for nail art? Do let me know. 
And if you've got your #2014bloggerchallenge post up, leave your link below as I would love to read them!

Thanks for reading!

Mani Monday

Hey guys!

I apologise for the lack of posts recently. I've had some intense weeks at uni and didn't have time/feel like writing. Unfortunately my crazily busy weeks haven't ended as I have an exam next week which of course I haven't started revising for... As it stands I'm currently taking a break from the all-nighter that I decided to pull.

It's been a while since I've posted a mani monday so here's my current manicure! I went back to my usual striping tape.

To create this look, I used a simple black from Barry M and one of the 'Polka Dots' polishes from one of Maybelline's limited edition color show.

Thanks for reading! Hope you have a great week!

Mani Monday- Street Artist Edition

Hey Guys

Happy Monday! (Positive thinking...)

I had an assessment today and one way I like to de-stress and chill is by doing my nails.

Recently, I bought a load of nail polishes which you can read about here

I really wasn't in the mood for waiting for nail polishes to dry so I can do some nail art design but I didn't want plain nails so I decided to try out one of the new polishes from Maybelline's Color Show Street Artist edition.

These polishes are a top coat effect so I just picked out some random nail polish I found in my collection which turned out to be one of the many presents I was given by my blogger secret santa. The polish is from Primark and the first one I've used from there. I don't know if their polishes are any good but I love this colour. I almost didn't want to put the top coat over.

As I was painting the top coat on, I wasn't sure if I was feeling it but the more I look at it, the more I'm warming up to it.

So far I'm loving them. Have any of you guys tried these polishes? What do you think of them?

Do let me know!

Thanks for reading!!

Superdrug haul

Hey guys!

Hope you've been having a great week. Mine hasn't been that great which resulted in a bit more shopping than I should have done...

So I thought I might as well do a haul post especially as it's been ages since I've done one.

I love Superdrug. They always have great deals on and I can get student discount which makes it very difficult to leave buying exactly what you came in for.

We've all been there. I'm only coming in to get boring stuff like cotton wool or deodorant or something but then we end up at the checkout with a handful of make up.

I must admit though, it's been a while since I've bought make up plus, I had a voucher for extra points so I actually don't feel that bad.  

First of all, I picked up a number of nail polishes. If you didn't already know, I'm a massive fan of Maybelline's color show range and now they've brought out two new limited edition ranges. I'm so bad with limited edition, because as soon as I see limited, I have to get them all. I'm even worse when it comes to nail polishes.

The ranges are 'Stripped nudes' and 'Street Artist'

Stripped nudes

Street Artist

I'm yet to own nude polishes as I've worried they'll look weird on my as I'm quite dark skinned but I thought it's about time I try it out as I have seen some great nude manicures.

The street artist range just looked amazing. I mean how can you say no to those? They cost £3.99 but they're currently on offer: buy one get one half price. That topped with student discount, I basically made an investment...

The two on the outside aren't actually limited edition, but I want to collect the range.

The street artist range nail polishes are top coats. I'm yet to try them out yet but when I do, I'll put a post up.

The next thing I picked up was an eyeshadow palette from MUA. I love MUA but for ages all they're good stuff has been out of stock so I had given up looking at stuff on their counter. Then as I was paying I spotted that all the good stuff had returned and so I picked up the Heaven and Earth palette. I currently own Undress Me Too which is an amazing palette. I had been looking for neutral eyeshadows and I had read a couple of reviews for this one and at the bargain of £4 I thought I might as well pick this one up.

The next item I picked up was one of Sleek's blush palette.

 I've heard great things about this palette for ages and I've been looking for a good blush that's well pigmented without being too harsh for ages. I haven't used it much yet as I don't wear blush everyday but when I have used it, I've loved it.

Lastly, I picked up Garnier's new micellar water.

I've heard loads about micellar water. I had wanted to get L'oreal's but the reviews I saw weren't encouraging. 

I personally like Garnier's products and the reviews I read about Garnier's were good so I was more swayed to to pick this one up. It also happened to be on offer as well.

That concludes my recent visit to Superdrug. I think I ought to stay clear of that shop for a while now...

Have any of you guys bought some great products from Superdrug or have any of you posted a haul recently? I'd love to know as I'm always looking for products to try.

Thanks for reading!!!