Christmas Photos

Just wanted to share a few photos that sum up my Christmas 2012. It's been a busy December so was so happy to have some days off to spend with friends and family. Hope everyone had a great Christmas!

This was my Christmas nail art - was so sad that my top coat made everything bubbly :( but it looked good if you weren't scrutinizing up close. The pink and mint polishes are from Rimmel. The sparkly ones are Indian Ocean and Blizzard, both from Model's Own. Obsessed with Blizzard!! And the nail art is from Npw and Claire's.

Christmas silliness in Liberty of London!

 South Bank Christmas market = magic. Best caramel hot chocolate.

Christmas tree brownie (extra chocolatey) and peanut butter / choc chip cookies. All gluten free goodies!

Snowflake 300

This week I have been super sick. Some kind of flu situation, where I have been at home feeling rotten and having to miss a lot of work, even my family Christmas party which made me really sad! A lot of sick time meant lots of time to paint my nails, so here is what I currently am sporting. An old lady complimented me on them at work today so they must be good!! (Sorry for the shocking quality of this photo!)

I am wearing two coats of Kiko Milano 300 (an extremely shimmery blue polish with hues ranging from dark to bright lagoon type blue) with a topcoat of Model's Own Snowflakes (clear polish with ripped metallic glitter, in some lights it looks white, then silver or gold! So pretty!)

NOTD - Purple glitter

My latest manicure is a mix of beautiful purples, and lots of glitter! Sorry for the bad quality of this pic! Took it on my phone once the sun had gone down.

1. A layer of Save the Nail's Toughen Up Basecoat - I love this basecoat. It is quite pricey at £7.50, but really is worth it. My nails feel so much happier with this on than cheaper basecoats I have used in the past. And luckily I had enough Boots points to snap this up :)

2. A layer of Ciate Wait Until Dark - I got this for free with a magazine. I like it, but when I put it on I always forget how dark it is, much darker than I would normally wear. So this is why I rarely use this polish alone, but it is great for dimension under more sheer polishes!

3. A layer of O.P.I. It's My Year from the Miss Universe Collection - This polish is gorgeous. Part of the reason I layered this over the Ciate polish is because I love this so much, and have the tendancy to put on so many layers because it is so pretty! But it cost me quite a lot, more than I would normally allow myself to spend on polish, so I want to make it last a long time!

4. A layer of Bourjois 1 second gel polish in purple glitter - the holographic glitter in different sizes makes this a showstopper of a polish. The gel texture really does dry quick and it helped my polish from chipping, lasting around 5 days, and it only chipped on one nail as I was opening a lot of deliveries at work. I love this polish!!

5. A final topcoat of Model's Own to seal the deal.

Disney Villains Nail Polish

I admit it. I am a Disney addict! I always have and always will love Disney movies, and I often visit the Disney store even though I am nearly twenty five years old! I really appreciate the ever growing range of products geared at adults, and whilst I wouldn't consider any of the Disney villains as one of my favourite characters, I find the Disney villains collection of products slightly irresistible.

Available online for £20 from the Disney Store here

On a recent solo shopping trip I splurged on the nail polish set, which at £20 isn't a huge price tag for five polishes, but it is as an impulse buy when I am trying to be on a budget! That being said, I really like the faceted glass bottles and long, tapered lids. They just feel a bit more elegant. And I slightly justify the buy to myself because the colours aren't ones I would naturally go for, they are dark and glamorous where I would usually be going for bright and fun.

Ursula

First I tried Ursula, as the Little Mermaid is my favourite Disney film. The colour is a shimmery pale purple, application was easy and it dried SUPER fast (I wish my other nail polishes dried this quick!). The major problem was that it dried really bumpy. I think it is to do with the fine glitter, as I applied thin coats. Up close it made me sad but from a distance it still looked really pretty. My accent nail was clear nail polish with glitter flakes I use for paper crafting (yay for multitasking!).

Queen of Hearts

A basic glitter gold, pretty and once again dried very quickly, but the colour was not really suited to me. 

Mother Gothel / Evil Queen

These are my absolute favourites of the collection so far! I felt so chic when wearing this colour combination. Mother Gothel is a deep, rich burgundy colour, whilst Evil queen is a syrupy black with bright red glitter which is so fine it feels like you have a glittering night sky on your nails! As with the other polishes in the collection, these dried fast and applied cleanly. I was most impressed with evil queen, because it applied so smooth. I was worried after Ursula that it would be bumpy, but it came out beautifully. And I wouldn't normally go for shades this dark so I am really pleased they are in my collection!

Still left to try : Cruella De Vil and Maleficent.

Verdict: I love the smoothness of application and how quick these polishes dry, but disappointed with some of the finishes coming up a bit bumpy. Would be interesting to know if anyone else has had this problem? Hopefully Disney will continue this line of products and maybe include the Disney Princesses :)

Accidental Manicure

I painted my nails in a gorgeous shade of polish from Kiko Milano (Nude 372) and as always with Kiko, I  was very happy with it. But when I was painting jar lids for a storage project, I accidentally improved it!

I think it looks kind of cool! Shame it was already chipping so it didn't last long. But I wouldn't be opposed to pairing my nail varnish to my art project in the future :)

Seaside and sunshine

I spent the weekend with a good friend in Southampton, and on Saturday the weather was nice enough for a day trip to the seaside. We went to Bournemouth on the train and spent a lovely day lazing on the beach and doing a lot of eating! My favourite thing of the day had to be the beautifully painted beach huts in such an array of colours. I have decided that I need to get one and turn it into a crafting haven by the sea!

The beach was so crowded!

NOTD in cornflower blue - Kiko Milano

 I really really really need a beach hut! I worry they are super expensive though... and I don't actually live near a beach so that may be an issue.

There is also a small fairground which is really pretty - lots of stalls and a couple of rides. Bournemouth is always fun for a day out :)

Nails of the day - Lilac #G0 Marks and Spencers

I tried this new nail varnish from Marks and Spencers limited collection.

Now I have never tried Marks and Spencers beauty products before, and wasn't sure how good the quality would be for a £3.50 price tag. But it was actually really nice polish to use! Really easy application, it only took 2 coats for full opacity, and was quick drying. Nice finish, not gloopy at all. The colour is lilac with fine gold glitter which reflects the light beautifully.

The next time I need some nail varnish I will definitely check this range!

xoxo