Killer Colours - Firewater

How gorgeous is this nail polish by Killer Colours? I love the rich, opaque colour (2 coats) and high shine finish.

I usually get a bit nervous when it comes to painting darker colours, but the thick consistency of this polish coupled with the firm brush made it pretty foolproof, even for my shaky hands!

Killer Colours Firewater is £9 and can be purchased here. They also have a number of colours on sale at £7.20 here!

Have you tried Killer Colours nail polishes?

*Christmas Giveaway!*

With just two weeks left before Christmas I thought I would do a little festive geveaway featuring some gorgeous beauty products from Boots! If you haven't seen the Boots Christmas advert yet, then you can check it out below. I really do see you guys as an extension of my friends and family so wanted to spread a little love and joy to my beautiful readers!

I will be giving away three gorgeous prizes:

• No7 The Nail Collection with four nail polishes in Devils Delight, Totally Teal, Hot to Trot and Damson Dream.

•  Ted Baker The Name on Everyone's Lips. A set of four glossy lip crayons presented in a beautiful ballet print tin from Ted Baker.

• Botanics Facial Oil plus two mini Nails Inc. polishes.

All you have to do to enter is follow this blog and leave a comment below with your choice of gift set and your e-mail address. The competition will be open for a week!


If you want to check out the selection of gifts on the Boots website you can see their recommendations here.

Good luck my lovelies and I hope you are all having a wonderful festive season! xxx

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

Out and About with Essie

This fabulous Jubilee weekend Essie have been celebrating their launch in Boots and Superdrug by offering free manicures in a host of glamorous London locations. I am so excited that Essie will now be readily available as this American brand has been difficult to get hold of in the past! I caught up with one of the 6 teams on Saturday in one of my favourite places - Kensington Gardens to sneak a peak of the colours on offer.

The team were busy polishing and handing out flyers to encourage people to look out for the new Essie displays - featuring the full range of 70 shades.

The shades on offer on the day were Cute as a Button, Tart Deco, Mint Candy Apple (my top pick), Lilacism (2nd fave), Fiji, Lapiz of Luxury, Ballet Slippers, Watermelon, Splash of Grenadine, Muchi Muchi, Flawless and Mademoiselle.

Essie is currently on a 3 for 2 offer at Superdrug here (£7.99 each). Essie can be found in Boots here.

Have you checked out Essie in your local Boots and Superdrug stores? Which are your favourite shades? My all time hero colours are Essie's St Lucia Lilac, Sexy Divide and Watermelon.xxx

*Sponsored Post*

Candy Sprinkles Envy Wraps Bling

Nail wraps are imho one of the best innovations in the last few years. They make even the most complicated of designs so simple and fast to achieve without fuss, fumes or frustration. As much as I love the idea of the Ciate Caviar nails (I am still on the waiting list for a set) I dread the spillage that will undoubtedly ensue when my shaky hands finally get hold of all those little beads.

I was therefore very much excited to see that Elegant Touch have released their own textured nail stickers - the new Envy Wraps Bling in Candy Sprinkles. These work just like any other nail wrap, but the little multi coloured gems are 3D, which makes them all sorts of sparkly!

Having just painted my nails the day before these landed on my doorstep I was too impatient to wait and decided to try them straight away. The base of the wraps is clear so you can apply them on your bare nail or on top of any coloured polish. You don’t need any heat with these so they were super quick to apply and lasted for about 3 days before the edges started fraying and peeling off.

I can genuinely say that I got so many compliments on my little Candy Sprinkles ‘feature’ nails over the next few days and most people were shocked that these were wraps as they thought I had painstakingly applied the gems individually.

Envy Wraps Bling can be purchased here for £6.99. Other designs in the range include silver droplets, leopard and zebra prints. 

Are you a fan of nail wraps? What do you think of the new textured nail wraps? Will you be checking out the new Envy Wraps Bling range? xxx

YSL La Laque Couture - Rose Futuriste

Yves Saint Laurent's latest nail collection La Laque Couture contains 30 timeless shades created to represent the couture legacy and the contemporary creations of the House of Saint Laurent. The range of shades is really impressive with muted pinks, neons, metallics and even some illusive taupes - a little something for everyone. I was immediately drawn to these when seeing the ad campaign... not least because of those amazing shoes!

I was kindly sent three shades to try out. Nothing brings excitement to the office like the arrival of a little YSL package. All the bottles look so luxurious in their glamorous gold packaging and luckily the product inside has never been a disappointment.

(Without flash)

 

(With flash)

The two pinks above are pretty similar, but after much thought (I'm deep like that lol) I finally decided on the cooler pink of the two No. 11 Rose Futuriste to paint my talons. The first thing I noticed is the amazing brush. Now, I am no heart surgeon and my hands are a little more than shaky, especially when working on small areas, but application with this brush was so quick and easy. The bristles are quite sturdy, while the brush is wide and flat with a curved edge, which means you can create the perfect shape at the cuticle and smoothly cover the whole nail in polish in one or two strokes. Come to think of it I think this is my favourite brush of any brands I have used!

The polish itself was deeply pigmented and pretty much opaque in one coat. It dried pretty quickly with a high gloss finish. I always use Seche Vite as a topcoat, a 'control' in all my nail polish experiments if you will ;).

I absolutely adore this colour. Bright pink has been the perfect antidote to the recent weather!

YSL La Laque Couture polishes retail at £18 and can be purchased online from Selfridges here.

Have you tried any of the new YSL Couture polishes? Which are your favourite shades? Were you equally impressed with the brush? xxx

L’Oreal Color Riche Nail Collection

You all know how I love my mini polishes, so I was really excited to learn that L’Oreal Paris have recently launched a fantastic new range of mini nail varnishes. The Color Riche Nail Collection comprises 41 new nail shades perfect for every summer-time mood!

 (With flash)

Left to Right: Insolent Magenta 504, Cafe St Germain 109, Divine Indigo 609, Boudoir Rose 204.

 (Without flash)

I was kindly sent a little selection to play with and I absolutely adore them. First of all they are mini (collective awwwww), though despite their size they do feature a large flat brush, which makes application super fast and easy. All the colours I have tried were pretty much opaque in one coat too, so perfect for painting on the go.

Once again I was desperate to try these out as soon as they landed so I had to borrow a nail or four from a friend ;). The above shows just one coat of polish. Pretty!

Color Riche Polishes are available from Boots for £4.99 here.

Have you tried the new L'Oreal Color Riche nail polishes? Which are your favourite shades? xxx

butter London S/S 2012

When the new butter London collection images dropped into my inbox this month I had to stop myself from letting out a squeal. I am sure my colleagues at work would not have shared my excitement! The colours in this collection are absolutely stunning and there is definitely something for everyone.

I was lucky enough to receive two shades from the range, including the one I was desperately hoping for - the beautiful, shimmery, multi-faceted and rather originally named 'Knackered' and the vivid, creamy teal 'Slapper'.

All the butter polishes are 3 free with no Formaldehyde, Toluene or DBP and are priced at £12 each here.

Knackered is described on the website as a sheer, twinkling oyster shade flecked with micro glitter particles. This polish is a true duochrome, with facets of lilac, silver and minty green infused with a rainbow of glitter.

With flash.

Without flash.

I was so excited to try this polish (even though I had just had my gels done at the salon so couldn't apply it to my own nails) that I commandeered a very reluctant hand model. If he ever sees this he will be very unimpressed... No nasty comments about the man fingers please, it was either these or Maxie's claws. I was desperate! :P

As mentioned the polish is quite sheer, so to build up the intensity I applied four coats. Once opaque you can see the range of colours light up at different angles, and the glitter really dances in the light! Stunning!

I can't wait to try this polish on top of some darker colours to see what kind of effect it can create as a topcoat!

Have you tried butter London polishes? What do you think of their latest colour palette? Are you a little bit obsessed with the glittery beauty of Knackered? Lots of love for my hand model in the comments please! xxx

MaxFactor Fantasy Fire... My take!

MaxFactor's Max Colour Effect Mini Nail Polish in Fantasy Fire has been causing quite a stir on the blogosphere! Apparently the colour is a dupe of a long discontinued Clarins polish, but I'm not easily swayed by the hype and wanted to try it with no preconceptions.

Seeing this polish in real life I can assure you the photos really don't do it justice. The warm purple base is brought to life with a true rainbow of shimmer. The holographic effect is beautiful, with sparks of red, gold, blue and green lighting up the polish at different angles.

 (With and without flash) 

However, on application I did find that the polish was very sheer. I am not terribly patient when it comes to nails so a polish that dries quickly and is opaque in one or two coats is essential. Fantasy Fire needs a generous three or four coats to reveal it's beauty, and though I do love the colour and think it was worth the effort, it does require a little tenacity.

The above shows the polish after three heavy coats and as you can see the colour is still a little sheer. Luckily, the shimmer hides the majority of the nail bed, so it still looks pretty spectacular!

In addition to the polish I was sent a little nail art kit so that I could recreate Zarra Celik's Purple Leopard designs. I am no nail art maestro, but I try my best! What do you guys think of my attempt?

If you want to create your own or a similar design you can follow Zarra's tips below. It really is so much quicker and easier than I had imagined! Even the bf was impressed with my left handed efforts :P. 

Fantasy Fire is selling fast, and is already going at 3 times the price on ebay! Luckily, new stock has been added to stores and I have found it for £3.99 in Superdrug and Boots.

What do you think of my leopard design? Have you tried MaxFactor's Fantasy Fire polish? Are you tempted to try it? xxx

MeMeMe Summer Chic Mini Nails Collection

Being a nail varnish lover, so much so that I haven't seen my nails without colour or gel overlays for many years, my polish collection is always on the increase. No matter how much I may love a particular colour I very rarely manage to work my way through a full bottle before it dries out or becomes far too difficult to work with. Therefore, I think mini polishes are the way forward! Not only are they super cute, they also take up much less storage/ display space and are more affordable while being less wasteful.

The MeMeMe Summer Chic Mini Nails Collection instantly caught my eye with its gorgeous range of mouth watering pastels and nudes inspired by the S/S catwalks. The collection features six polishes:

• Pensive - Aqueous blue (inspired by Chanel and McQueen)
• Spirited - gorgeous milky peach (my favourite)
• Refined - cool toned light grey
• Lyrical - super fun soft lemon
• Ambitious - a sophisticated dusky pink
• Alluring - on point creamy mocha

I absolutely can't wait to try all these, and may even attempt a bit of an eclectic manicure...

Photo from here.

Though my nail painting skills certainly will not stretch to this so I may attempt one colour on each nail instead ;p.

The MeMeMe Summer Chic Mini Nails Collection retails at £11.99. It is currently available on the Argos website here and will be launched in Superdrug stores and on MeMeMe's website here later this month.  

What is your favourite colour in this collection? Are you a little obsessed with mini nail polishes? Have you tried MeMeMe's nail polish before? What colours are you wearing this Spring? xxx 

*PR Sample* 

Valentine's Gifts for Her

Although I am under no illusion that many men frequent this blog (if you are one then please identify yourself!) nevertheless I thought it would be fun to create a little Valentine's gift guide for girls. Most boys need a little nudge in the right direction... ;)

Dior Garden Clutch Palette (£55) - What could be more romantic than this beautiful Dior palette with three sumptuous eyeshadows and two pretty lip glosses? The packaging is absolutely adorable and luxurious - absolutely perfect for Valentine's day!

Spineless Classics Full Text Novel Posters (from £14.99) - Her favourite book can come to life in these amazing prints. Whether you go for romance with Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet or Mary Shelley's Frankinstein, I am sure she would appreciate such a thoughtful and original gift.

Folli Follie Bonding Ring box set (£110) - You can never go wrong with something sparkly! Every girl loves a little variety, so now is the perfect time to invest in a beautiful rose gold or silver set of four stacking rings. Each one can be worn alone, or combined to create some serious bling.

 

Joe & Seph's Gourmet Popcorn (from £4) -  Instead of queuing up in Thornton's or Godiva to purchase the usual box of chocolates, why not treat her to a delicious bag of handmade popcorn from Joe & Seph's. They have an amazing selection of flavours from salty caramel (my favourite) to a special Valentine's day concoction that combines rich Belgian white chocolate infused with caramel with a fruit cocktail of pure strawberry. Yumm!!!

Ted Baker ROCKSY purse (£55) - This cute patent leather purse with a heart detail clasp would fit into any girl's bag and with space for six cards and two note sections it's also small enough for a night out, or romantic meal out... whether or not she is paying ;p.

Beauty Box Subscription - The gift that keeps on giving with a beautifully presented box of cosmetic treats arriving on her doorstep every month. There are so many to choose from, but my favourites are:

• GlossyBox (Valentine's 50% off code: AFF50GLOSSYBOX) - £10 per month here.
•  Jolie Box/ Boudoir Prive - £10 per month here.
• Amarya Beauty Box (natural & organic products) - £10 per month here.

Nail Wraps from Myleene Klass (from £5.99) - I love these cute little nail wraps with the perfect heart shaped design. Each pack comes with 24 stickers, enough to cover both hands and feet, plus a handy (see what I did there?) nail file.

More Than Words... (from £75). Personalised gifts are always extra special, but can be a little tricky to source or make. This website creates beautiful artwork to your precise specifications. Tell your special someone one what you love about them, or create art featuring memories you share.

ClaireaBella Canvas Bags (from £14.99) - These have been popping up in the hands of celebrities everywhere. Although the canvas bag itself is perhaps not the most exciting accessory the cute designs and individual details, such as the name and bespoke cartoon, make it absolutely adorable!

Mulberry Alexa (from £650) - If you are looking to really spoil her you would struggle to do better than a classic Mulberry Alexa bag. I am absolutely in love with the new Silky Snake Print in playful pebbled beige, or the smart nightshade blue. 

What are you hoping to receive this Valentine's Day? Will you be treating yourself or a loved one to something special? xxx