Instant Manicure: Elegant Touch Mix It Up Pretty Pastels

Sometimes a girl just wants to have it all.. and why shouldn't you? When it comes to manicures one colour isn't always enough so Elegant Touch have made the ultimate kit for mixing up your shades.

The Elegant Touch press on nails come in sets of 3 colours (36 nails in total) for £6.99 here. I was sent the Pretty Pastels set to trial, but unfortunately as I already have gel nails, I had to find a willing volunteer instead. She chose to go with the more conventional approach of a set the same colour, which just shows that you could have 3 manicures from only one kit!

In less than 10 minutes the nails were applied and felt fairly sturdy, taking much less time than your regular polish manicure to dry. The short length and rounded corners look really natural and elegant, even though my volunteer is of small stature with delicate hands, these nails still looked perfectly in proportion!

I love mixing colours, especially when it comes to groups such as pastels and neons. I think they can look really fun and quirky, without being outlandish...

What do you guys think of mixing nail polish colours? Have you tried any of the Elegant Touch Mix it Up sets? xxx

Ciate Jubilee Caviar Manicure

I have been absolutely dying to try Ciate's amazing caviar manicure and it seems that I was not alone as these sets have been sold out ever since their launch! I was so excited when their gorgeous Jubilee duo landed on my office desk. I was half tempted to start sprinkling away in my lunch hour ;).

The caviar sets come with two paint pots - a base colour and a pot of multi coloured beads. The Jubilee set is wonderfully patriotic with red, blue and transparent pearls and a shimmery white base called angel wings.

The manicure itself is really easy to do and unexpectedly mess free! I applied two coats of the shimmery white polish and while the second coat was still wet poured the beads over and pressed them into the base to secure them. The set comes with a tray to trap all the surplus beads and a funnel to make sure that no beads go to waste.

The final effect is really fun and unique! The only shame is that it doesn't last longer than a few days. You can give the beads a little extra longevity by applying a little top coat along the edge of your nails and take a little extra care in your daily 'nail usage'. Personally I think they look gorgeous and it's really worth the extra effort ;). 

The Jubilee Ciate Caviar set is exclusive to Selfridges and can be found for £18 here.

Have you tried any of Ciate's Caviar sets? Which are your favourites? xxx

E.L.F. Mango Madness

I have been a fan of E.L.F. polishes for quite some time. They have a brilliant choice of colours and finishes, and at just £1.50 make the perfect guilt free purchase. With Valentine's day approaching last week I decided to switch up my french manicure for something a little more fun and romantic. I decided to go for one of the new colours in the range called Mango Madness.

In the bottle this colour is absolutely stunning - a warm pink flecked with the finest gold shimmers that glow in the light. In the past I have found ELF polished to be opaque and long wearing, however this one didn't quite live up to its promises. Mango Madness is a sheer polish, so much so that after 4 coats of colour I could still see the french manicure peeking through. It did dry very fast so by the time I was done with one hand I could reapply another coat on the other, but still I found this very arduous! I was also surprised that it dried fairly matte and the gold shimmer wasn't as visible as it had been in the bottle. I topped it off with my trusty Seche Vite, but as you can see the results weren't quite as vibrant as I had expected.

Excuse the ridiculous amount of growth, I am overdue for infills! This photo was taken a week after application so there has been some considerable tip wear. However, you can see just how sheer the polish is after 4 coats of colour, and how different it look on the nails as opposed to in the bottle - I would say it is more of an orangey coral than a peachy pink.

I have never had this before with ELF polishes, and to tell you the truth it's not something that worries me since I still like the colour, and if I didn't have french tips underneath it would be opaque enough to cover the natural markings on my nails. I maintain my love of these polishes and will continue to purchase and recommend them regardless of this minor mishap as they are fantastic value for money. Check them out here!

Have you tried any ELF polishes? What have been you experiences? Do yo have any favourites? xxx