Halloween Week 4 - Bloody Funky French

Boo!

For my last Halloween themed nails I wanted it to look like I'd been tearing at bloody flesh with my fingers - nice image! I was originally going to leave my nails bare and just paint the tips over my clear base coat but the black I used under the googly eyes stained a little so I used 2 coats of Nails Inc Havana (swatch here) before drawing on the blood with Barry M Bright Red. I just used a dotting tool to make the blood drips and spatters. I did consider adding in a darker red, but left it so the blood looked "fresh".

 

A blurry shot my OH took for me - the scariest part of this pic is the fetching PJ top I'm wearing...

This is my last Halloween Week post, since Halloween is tonight! I was going to try a couple more manicures, but I liked the ones I had done so ended up leaving on them longer than I intended and didn't get time. I really wanted to do a Mummy style mani, with grubby bandages and red rhinestone eyes peeking out (have you seen this amazing Mummy water marble by Colette?) but I'll save it for next year I guess :)

Tomorrow I'll be starting on the 31 day challenge that I've seen lots of people doing. I definitely wont be posting every day as I just don't have the time, but I'm aiming to get it finished by mid-December so I can start rocking the Christmas nails :D Have you tried the challenge? I'd love to see if you have, leave a link in the comments.

Day 1 is red nails - and I have a fab polish in mind!

Do you have any plans for Halloween? I'll be taking the boys Trick or Treating, Ollie is a vampire and the baby is a pumpkin! I can't wait!

Hx

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Giveaway Alert

I wanted to let you know about a cool giveaway from Reflections, Sassy Nails and Silly Diversions, another Mummy blogger! See the picture below for what you can win!

The giveaway is open until midnight Nov 2nd. Good luck!

Hx

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Halloween Week 3 - I've got my eye on you...

Boo!

I was so so excited last week, as I won a giveaway hosted by the lovely Joy at Okay Now Joy which included a glow in the dark polish! How exciting! I've not seen any GITD polish here, apart from a rubbish one that I bought in Tesco which doesn't work and washes off in warm water! I never in a million years thought it would arrive in time for Halloween but I was amazed to see it sitting on my doorstep when I got back from taking the boys to playgroup yesterday (which gives me hope that the polishes I sent to Jasmine in our swap will get to her soon!). Anyway, I couldn't wait to get playing with my new pretties and this is what I came up with.

First I used two coats (though it could have used three) of No7 Beautifully Black, a small silver glitter in a black/charcoal base. Pretty enough, but nothing to write home about. I have to say I am disappointed in these polishes, and I would never buy a full price one (thank goodness for £5 off No7 vouchers...). The formula isn't great, the coverage is a bit pants and after painting my nails late last night I had a chip halfway through this morning even though I'd done nothing strenuous. Now they're looking a little tip-weary and even though I love my cute eyeballs I'm itching to take it off. Anyway, after that I added two pairs of eye balls to each nail (3 on the thumb) using a large dotting tool and Wet n Wild French white, before going over each eyeball with a dot of the Glow in the Dark pumpkin polish.  This polish has teeny iridescent glitter in it, which really makes the eyeball stand out! Then the black pupils were done with a smaller dotting tool and Wet n Wild Black creme. Topped with SV to smooth it out and this is the result.

And here it is glowing! Colour me impressed! I got a bit of a shock when I woke up at 4am for a wee...

You would not believe how hard it was to get this pic though...

And here is what I won from Joy - Pumpkin Polish with hex glitter and crescent shapes, Fuchsia Blacklight Pumpkin Polish, Glow in the Dark glitter and Wet n Wild Correction Tape :) Happy Helly :) And look that the post-it with a QR code that links direct to Joy's blog! How super clever is that!

Thank you so much Joy! These polishes will be cherished!

Halloween is just 3 days away, think I might squeeze in 2 more themed manicures, and then start the 31 day challenge (I already have an exciting red polish lined up!)

Fun fact about me - I cannot for the life of me pronounce the word "pumpkin", it always comes out as "pun-kin" no matter what I do! My little boy says it the same way, but he is only 4 so he has an excuse!

Hx

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Halloween Week 2 - Spiders!

Boo!

I've seen this manicure, or versions of it on a few blogs, but this is my take. I used 2 coats of Beauty UK Blue Shimmer for my base and Miss Sporty Blueberry to stamp the spiders from BM13. Then I added a blue rhinestone to one spider on each nail and topped with Seche vite (yay I have a new bottle :) ). What do you think? I really like the colour combo, even though I had trouble getting the spiders legs to stamp and had to paint a few in with a wee brush.

Be warned, this next picture was taken pre-cleanup and cuticle cream to show a twitter friend quickly - but you can see the stamping more clearly.

Since I decided to do this yesterday afternoon I've had this in my head, anyone remember it?

Spider in the bath, spider in the bath, there's a creepy crawly creepy crawly spider in the bath! I know he's only there because he wants to have a laugh! I thought I put him down the drain but now he's climbing up the chain, spider!

Hx

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Nails Inc GOLD Magnetic polish at Buyapowa!

Just a very quick post to let you know that Buyapowa currently have Nail Inc Gold Magnetic polish on offer. The price is currently at £8 but could go as low as £7 - which is £6 off the original Nails Inc price.

There are no other companies in the UK that I know of offering a gold magnetised polish, so grab it while you can!

Click this link to join the co-buy - but be quick there are only a few spaces left!

http://www.buyapowa.com/ref/Lj3EAR

Halloween week will continue this evening :)

Hx

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Halloween Week v.1!

Boo!

So, Halloween is a week away, and I decided to do some Halloween inspired nails. I have a few ideas, so I'm creating a little mini-series! I wont be posting every day, as I don't change my nails every day. Some of the ideas I've come up with myself, and some I've seen on other blogs and shamelessly stolen adapted to suit me!

First up is something simple but that I really love the look of, and it's a classic Halloween colour combo. I started with my green Depression Awareness mani as the base and topped it with a thick coat of this neon orange crackle by La Femme Beauty. I picked this up on a market stall for £3 but you can pick it up easily on ebay and Amazon.

You do need thick coats of the crackle because it isn't completely opaque. And it needs top coat because it's very chalky without it. I love how the glitter peeks through the crackle though! What I didn't love was removing it using the foil method. How is it that every time I remove a glitter this way I discover a sore spot on a cuticle that I didn't know I had? Ouch!

What Halloween designs do you have planned?

Hx

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NOTD - Green for Depression Awareness Month

I bet you knew October was Breast Cancer Awareness Month, but did you know it's also Depression Awareness Month? I didn't, until I saw a few other blog posts about it, so I decided to create a green manicure to help spread awareness and help kill the stigma that still surrounds depression.

I'm lucky in that I've never suffered from depression myself. I mean, everyone has down days and feels miserable from time to time, but those feelings have never affected my day-to-day life. That doesn't mean it hasn't affected me personally though, as my Mother suffered from it after her relationship with my Dad ended when I was 17. They'd been together since they were 18, married at 20 and had me at 22. Her relationship with my dad was all she'd ever known, and all of a sudden it was gone and she was a single parent with 3 teenage children, half the income she'd had previously and debts coming out of her behind. It's no wonder it became too much for her. Very quickly she was struggling to cope, barely holding onto her job and drinking heavily. The real low came when I came home from my Saturday job at a chemists one lunchtime, took her a cup of tea into her room and she told me she'd taken an overdose the night before, because she wanted to go to sleep and not wake up. The resulting afternoon at a busy South London A&E department means I know what hell depression is, how it can bring someone to their knees instantly and without warning, and how it can change people beyond recognition.

Thankfully, my dear Mum got the help she needed and a combination of medication and therapy got her through it. Not everyone is so lucky though, and the stigma of talking about depression will prevent people from seeking help. There ARE people who can help without judging you. Mental Health UK is a great place to start, as is Blurt, a place to talk about depression openly and honestly.

Anyway, on to the nails. I wanted to make my green manicure a bit of lighthearted fun. I used one coat of Barry M Spring Green, and topped with two coats of Pop Rocks Groupie, a green glitter I got on ebay. Groupie is a sheer forest green jelly packed with different sized holo glitter. I tried using it on it's own, but I knew I'd never get it opaque, so layered it instead.

Thank you for reading this post, it was a hard one to write but I wanted to share and hopefully reduce the stigma that surrounds depression in it's many forms.

Have you created a green manicure for Depression Awareness Month? Please post your links in the comments if you have, I'd love to see it!

Hx

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NOTD - 17 Magnetised in Grey

Hi loves!

Sorry my posts are a bit sporadic at the moment, technology hates me. I usually bluetooth pics from my camera to my laptop as the cable stopped working, but now the bluetooth on my laptop has stopped working too. So, I was bluetoothing the pics from my camera to my phone, and then uploading to my laptop from there. BUT now the cable for my phone has stopped working too. It charges my phone, but it wont send data. Grr. So now, I'm bluetoothing photos from camera to phone, and then emailing them to myself to get them on the computer. Can you say long-winded? What's worse is that the emails take FOREVAH to come through. I'm writing this post at 4.30pm and I emailed myself the pictures at 11pm last night and they're still not here (Actually now about 47 hours ago and they're still not here...nicked the BF's lappy, then emailed myself from there. LeSigh.). I have ordered a new bluetooth dongle for the lappy, and as soon as it arrives normal service will be resumed!

Anywho, I have the Grey Boots 17 magnetised polish to show you today. This and the green are my favourite, followed closely by the purple Nails Inc one. The blue 17 one is pretty enough, but was a bit trickier formula wise, and gave a more subtle effect. I'll wear it again soon to show you. I desperately want the red one from FashionistA, and a little birdie tells me they'll be in selected Superdrugs from Wednesday, and hopefully on the Superdrug website Monday or Tuesday. Plus, Superdrug has free delivery until Christmas, so although their website is a bit rubbish it's worth a look!

I held the magnet the other way round for this manicure, giving me vertical stripes instead of horizontal, and I think it makes my nails look long and elegant. This is one coat over one coat of Collection2000 Hot Looks All That Jazz, which matches almost perfectly (there's a swatch of that too). I really love the effect this polish gives, it really looks three dimensional! I think I need a brown/bronze one of these, it'd look just like a tigers eye stone - amazeballs!

Collection 2000 Hot Looks All That Jazz as the base

Have you got your paws on any magnetised polish yet? Do you love it as much as me?

Hx

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NOTD - Spotty Pastels

Hi loves,

I decided to rebel (albeit briefly) against all the autumnal shades and metallics and do some simple nail art with this lovely pastel blue polish by Accessorize. It's a sort of duck egg shade, with a really great formula. 2 coats but no streakyness whatsoever, which is unusual for a pastel. I dotted with 17 Nail Xtras French tip whitener and a dotting tool, and flipped it on the ring finger. Simple but pretty and got lots of compliments.

I should do dots more often. What colours do you like dotting with? My nails are very short and square at the moment. Desperately trying to grow out these peels :(

Hx

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NOTD - Silver and Indigo drag marble

My first attempt at a drag marble came out pretty well I think :) As usual I liked the left hand better than the right, and my favourite finger was the first one I did - why does that always happen? I thought it would be less messy than water marbling, and it was but only slightly! I make a mess cleaning up so that's no surprise! I painted a thin coat of Miss Sporty Metallic Crystal as the base, let it dry then added a much thicker coat. While that was still wet I added 3 blobs of Barry M Indigo (one of my favourites) to each nail using a dotting tool and then dragged through them with a pin (you could use a cocktail stick - which I will do next time I think) in a swirly pattern. It was lumpy and bumpy so a couple coats of TC and this is what I got.

Fave nail. Clearly I threw the polish at it from a distance in the dark...

I'm looking forward to trying some other combos, what colour combinations would you try?

Hx

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Yesterday's Pink Wednesday for Breast Cancer Awareness Month

As October is Breast Cancer Awareness month I'm going to jump on the bandwagon and devote some Pink Wednesdays to the cause. I've not done a PW for a while, and actually enjoyed wearing this colour yesterday.

It's a colour I've used before but if I remember tightly, I only blogged about it once I'd shattered all over it, so here is a clearer picture. I used 2 coats of MeMeMe's Playful and then drew on little hearts near the cuticle with my dotting tool and Collection 2000 French White. Simple but pretty, although I have to admit the hearts on my right hand looked like a 4 year old did them and were 3 times the size of the left hand ones, so I covered them over again and just had dots on that hand.

The colour is leaning a bit old lady, it needs to be a teeny bit lighter I think, but it is still a soft and pretty creme, great formula, easy application - I used 2 coats but could have gotten away with one. Unfortunately I wrecked it by going swimming but that just lead to the awesomesauce I'm wearing now and will show you tomorrow!

Happy (late) Pink Wednesday! If you stand on your tiptoes you can almost see the weekend :)

Hx

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NOTD - Autumn leaves

Hi!

I'm going to try to make this quick, since I was meant to be in bed half an hour ago!

I picked up one of Boots 17's new Autumn polishes in Fury, because I loved the colour. It's similar to Chanel Peridot but not a dupe. Anyway, for some reason the 17 Fast Finish polishes don't play nice with me and 2 coats were bubble city and looked awful. I took it off after a day and chucked Fury in my polish drawer in disgust. But I couldn't help thinking what a nice autumn colour it is, and then I looked through my stamping plates and thought this up. This time I used one coat of Fury and although it wasn't qite opaque it didn't bubble as badly. There were a few bubbles but it wasn't as bad as the first time. I used 2True Fast Dry shade 8 and Maybelline Orange Couture to stamp the leaf pattern from BM04. The 2true polish stamped really well, but the Maybelline wasn't as opaque, just giving a subtle effect.

I'm quite annoyed that Fury doesn't like me. It's a really pretty almost duochrome true gold that leans slightly coppery and greeny at times. Maybe I'll add some thinner to it and see if that helps.

Have you ever had a problem with 17 Fast Finish polishes? Peacock didn't play nice with me either. The Lasting Fix and Supreme Shine polishes are fine, but the Fast Finish polishes are much prettier colours. Any suggestions?

Hx

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September favourites!

Helloo!

I missed out on doing an August favourites post because of my computer issues, so I'm catching up! First up, the nail polishes that have been part of my favourite manicures this month.

 Clockwise from top: Miss Sporty Electric Beige, (my go-to goldy-y stamping colour), Boots 17 Magentised Polish in Green, Revlon Facets of Fuchsia, OPI Nail Envy, Revlon Galaxy, Models Own Grace Green, Collection 2000 Hot Looks Milkshake, No7 Milan, OPI I Lily Love You

Click the links to the posts to see the manicure's I've done with these polishes!

As part of Operation Fit and Fabulous I've been trialling these supplements which contain Biotin for hair and nails. My nails peel like crazy, so I'm trying to keep them pretty short and square to try and combat them, and trying a supplement can't hurt. I've heard reviews saying Biotin gives people spots, and I have got one at the moment. I NEVER ever get spots on my face - I could probably count on my fingers the amount I've had in my entire life, so I hope this is just a coincidence and I'll stick with them. I have 2 months supply so you'll get a proper review once the two months is up!

Vivo cosmetics eye monos in Dusky Pink, Pale Gold and Mink, and Primer 25ml.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE these products. The eye shadows are soft and well pigmented and I've worn at least one of them most days since I got them. great for an everyday eye as they're shimmery but not full on glitterball, which I like. And the primer is the first face primer I've used (after swatching lots and putting them back because they're too expensive, I still want Benefits Porefessional though...) It just evens out my skintone, so I can slap it on with some concealer and be out the door for the school run, or use it under foundation to make it glide on and last longer. I really love how it feels on my skin, silky and soft. My only negative is that there's only 25ml in the bottle, and it's quite a big bottle so after a few uses it feels a bit empty and is hard to get out. But that could be solved by depotting it if I can get some wee jars or something.

ELF Srudio Stipple Brush and Avon Angled Blush Brush

I'd only ever used a flat foundation brush before, but found myself always needing to blend with my fingers afterwards. As I said I've got good skin so when I wear foundation I only need a light touch and the ELF Stipple Brush is great for that. I've read some bad reviews on it, but figured if it was no good it's only £3.50 and I could use it for powder, but for me it's perfect for foundation and it washes well without shedding or bleading. And the Avon brush is a good multi-purpose blush brush, and I use it for blush, contouring and highlighting. And it's super soft!

Sleek Santorino Blush and Sunset palette

I had been looking for a super-bright pink blush for a while when the lovely Liloo held a wee giveaway for this blush - and I was lucky enough to win! It's mega bright and very pigmented, so the lightest touch is needed, but now the summer is over and my tan is fading it's a perfect colour for wind-chilled cheeks! I picked up the sunset palette from a blogsale and love it. Its the first Sleek palette I own, and it's a very considered purchase - I couldn't decide which palette I would get the most use from as I already have a lot of neutrals and better suit warm tones. The golden shimmer in this palette makes the colours really warm and I've even managed to use the blue, which is quite frankly amazing because despite having very blue eyes blue eyeshadow usually makes me look like a drag queen. I shit you not.

And finally my nail wheels! I got these from ebay for a few pounds and have had great fun playing with them (despite getting a headache from the stench of polish everytime I do...) There is a little poll in the sidebar asking which you'd like to see first - if you wouldn't mind voting I'd be ever so grateful!

Things I've not been loving this month:

• Frogs. My cat has become an expert frog hunter and every morning for the last few weeks I've had to rescue at least one frog from the confines of my conservatory...
• My nails. They split, they break, they're stained. Ah the life of a nail blogger...
• Dieting. 3 months or so in and I'm starting to hate it. I've lost 26 pounds, which is great, but I just want biscuits for breakfast, bread for lunch and chips for tea. Porridge, soup and salad is wearing a bit thin.
• Spiders. Seriously, what is it with all the Arnold Schwarzespiders at the moment? I saw one run across the floor from the corner of my eye and thought it was the cat!

What have you been loving (and hating) this month? If you've done a favourites post, send me your links!

Hx

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NOTD - 2true Crystal nail polish

Hi de hi!

I showed you a new 2True polish topped with I Lily Love You here, but I also picked up two new Crystal polishes that they've bought out (any 3 items from 2True are just £4.99 from Superdrug). These aren't even on the 2true or Superdrug websites yet, and in 3 different Superdrugs I've looked in these were the only two colours each of them had, although there were spaces on the stand for more. So if you like glittery foil finishes keep an eye out!

The colours I've found are Shade 3 (greeny-blue) and Shade 4 (mauve). These pictures were two coats, no topcoat day 2 of wear. Impressive for a budget brand! On my left hand I used Shade 3 as accent nails, and 4 for the rest, and reversed it on my right hand, for a super quick I-wanna-go-to-bed-now-please mani.

I'll definitely keep my eye out for more of these polishes, I was very impressed.

As you can probably tell I've spectacularly broken the no-buy. I'm just waiting for one polish to arrive from ebeast and then there will be a haul post, as I've not done one of those in a while! I also have September favourites coming up, probably tomorrow.

I hope you're well! Have a nice weekend.

Hx

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NOTD - OPI I Lily Love You over 2true Shade 10 Navy Creme

Bonjour!

Today I'm showing you a really pretty combination that I wore for my sons 4th birthday over the weekend. I used 2 coats of one of 2true's new Colour Quick Fast Dry polishes in Shade 10 (Navy Creme - how hard is it to name a polish?). I wanted a navy creme and I saw this colour on Just Nice Things and knew I wanted it. I also knew it stained so I used 2 coats of base coat and minimised the damage. I then layered a coat of OPI I Lily Love You on top for maximum prettyfuls. Sealed with topcoat (NYC Expert Last in Classy Glassy as I couldn't get the fast dry. Still as good IMO, but I will be getting a new Seche in the near future).

These pics do not do it justice, everyone come over to my house and see for yourself. No, actually don't...

Wee bit o' tipwear showing, but considering I usually have chips and all sorts after a day of wear I can' handle it.

I can see this navy polish getting a lot of use this autumn/winter, and 2true products sell for the bargainous price of £1.99 or three for a fiver in Superdrug. I picked up two new foil polishes too. I'm glad to see new things from 2true, as it hopefully means Superdrug wont be discontinuing it anytime soon. They apply well, the brush is good and they're cheap and cheerful. What else could a girl want?

Have you tried 2true? What layering combos have you tried with ILLY? Show me!

Hx

PS If anyone knows where I can get Revlon Royal and Starry Pink in the UK please let me know! Thank you :*

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NOTD - Boots 17 Magnetised Nail Polish in Green

Ok, so you know I wasn't spending anything in September...well technically these 4 polishes came under the opportunity not to be missed category. First up, I'm sure you've heard of the Site BuyaPowa by now (if not sBudgetBeauty has a great explanation here). Basically, you join a co-buy and have the chance to get an item at a much reduced price (because buying in bulk is cheaper). They were running a deal on Nails Inc's new magnetic polish in Houses of Parliament (purple) and as 100 people signed up for the co-buy we all paid £7 instead of the usual £13 with free postage. Bargain, or so I thought.

I'd eyed up the Boots 17 magnetic polishes and when I won a £10 Boots evoucher for painting my face like a pokeball in Klayer's make-up contest and I knew what I wanted. Since I'd got the purple Nails Inc polish I got the green, blue and silver (3 for 2 ;) ) and had to pay £2 plus postage with my £10 evoucher. They all came on the same day and as soon as I got them I swatched them on my grubby paws over the polish I was wearing. The effect was WOW and as soon as I saw it I loved it, but then I noticed something. Both bottles are exactly the same! There is not one discernible difference that I can see, apart from the labels. The magnets are the same, the size and shape of the bottle, brush and cap and the design on the detachable magnet cap - exactly the same. How can Nails Inc charge £13 for a polish that Boots is charging £5.99 for? I'm willing to bet Houses of Parliament is the same colour as the Boots Lilac magnetised polish too, although I don't have the two to compare. I've also heard new brand FashionistA are bringing out a magnetic polish line, available in Superdrug. They have more colours, though they're priced at £6 or £7 a bottle, and you buy the magnet separately for £3. They look exactly the same too...

Anyway, on to the manicure. I used Boots "Green" magnetised polish (I have the Nails Inc on my toes but can't get a good pic). First I used a coat of a Miss Sporty polish in a similar colour, so I wouldn't get it opaque without "wasting" the magnetised polish on two coats. When applying the magetised polish you have to do each nail at a time, so polish the nail and hold the magnet over while it is still wet before moving onto the next nail. As soon as you hold the magent over the particles in the polish "jump" to form the pattern, but you should hold the magnet for 10-15 seconds to set it. The longer you hold the magnet over the crisper the image will be. And if you don't like the pattern you get or you mess up, you can just paint another coat on and try again!

Identical!

I lurve this polish. You know I love shatter? Yeah, magnetic polish is the new crack-le. See what I did there? *insert tumbleweeds* Ok, I'll shut up. But seriously, I need as many colours as I can get my paws on and as many different magnet shapes as I can too. But Boots definitely wins over Nails Inc, for the insane price difference alone.

Have you tried magnetic effect polish yet? Will you?

Hx

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