Merry Christmas from me!

Just a quick post tonight to show you my Christmas nails and wish you all a very Merry Christmas before the Baileys takes over! I can't take credit for the idea - I got it from Copycat Claws - and I also didn't get a good picture before the dinner prep ruined them, but my boys loved them! The base is two coats of Maybelline Color Show Knitted Gold from the brocades limited editions, super pretty polish so grab it while you can.

I hope you all got your Christmas wishes, I did - Christmas with my family and it was perfect x

Hx

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Off Topic Tuesday - The Christmas Tag

Hi!

I saw this tag in one of my Facebook beauty groups and thought it would be fun for Christmas Eve's off topic Tuesday! So here it is, the Christmas Tag.

1. Favourite Christmas song?
It's hard to chose! Probably The Pogues Fairytale of New York, closely followed by Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas and Santa Baby.

2. Favourite festive drink?
Can't beat a drop of Bucks Fizz for Christmas morning breakfast! It's all downhill from there...

3. Favourite Christmas film?
I'm not a huge movie person, but one of my faves as a child was The Santa Clause. My two are a little bit too young still for proper Christmas movies, but I've got them The Grinch on DVD as they love the book.

4. What is at the top of your Christmas wish-list this year?
I honestly just wanted to spend Christmas with my boys, and it was a close call but my wish was granted and I'm so grateful.

5. Favourite festive make up or nail art look?
Um, bring on the GLITTAH! Seriously, glitter, glitter everywhere and not a drop to drink!

6. Favourite outfit at Christmas time? (LBD? Christmas jumper? PJs?)
Something comfy but smart. Probably a sparkly top with my comfiest stretchy jeans for the big day!

7. Would you rather play outside in the snow or sit inside in the warmth with a cuppa?
Snow is fun for a day or two, but any more than that I'm longing for spring!

8. Wrapping presents – love or loathe?
Indifferent. I don't mind it, and I'm actually pretty good at it (blowing my own trumpet there, sorry!) But I usually do it all in one go and sitting on the hard floor getting a numb bum and feeling chilly isn't my idea of a good time!

9. Favourite Christmassy food?
You can't beat a leftover sandwich! Turkey, stuffing and cranberry sauce between two thick, soft slices of bread! I also love making bubble and squeak with leftover veg, topped with a runny poached egg. I'm all about the leftovers apparently!

10. What is your favourite thing about Christmas?
My children have made it for me this year. Their excited little faces, cute Christmas songs and crafts have just been magical. I love them so much and after a tough couple of months, Christmas is all about them this year.

Hx

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Adventures in Stamping - Merry Christmas!

Hi!

It's been a while since I partook in a Sunday stamping challenge, but this week's theme was Merry Christmas so how could I not? I went for a classic green, gold and red look, and really loved it! I got to use a couple of untrieds that I'd been hoarding for a while, and while I loved one I hated the other. The gold foil is Nails Inc Chelsea Bridge Road and I bloody hated it. It dragged, it was lumpy, brush-strokey and it chipped really quickly too. And it didn't even stamp. Good job I was covering it with glitter because it was a hot mess under there! The glitter itself was a joy - China Glaze Party Hearty, a long time lemming which I grabbed earlier in the year ready for Christmas! Just one coat gave the coverage you see, and disguised the yukky Nails Inc. The green is another China Glaze, Jolly Holly and it was stamped with Barry M Gold Foil and Pueen 38.

I just love the Pueen plates, there's something there for every occasion! And with this particular plate you have the added bonus of getting Jingle Bells stuck in your head! Oh, jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way...

Hx

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A very Crumpet Christmas!

Just a quickie to let you know I guest posted on the wonderful Crumpet yesterday, as part of her British blogging Christmas! So for details of my Christmas balls (snort) head over and have a look!

Hx

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Wrap it up...

Hi!

I have been wanting to use the Christmas jumper/fairisle pattern on my Nailscraze NC03 plate since the moment I got it in my grubby little paws, but seeing as that was July I had to wait! And with the release of MoYou's festive plates it seems everyone has gone Christmas jumper mad, so I took a different route in order to use the awesome pattern! (Don't worry, I have a jumper mani planned too ;) ) Instead of jumpers I took my inspiration from wrapping paper and used sparkly Zoya Blaze as the base and stamped with Barry M Silver foil, combining the fairisle image with some Bundle Monster stripes. I smudged it with my topcoat and could have kicked myself, but hey, they still attracted lots of compliments! Now I've got my nails "wrapped" I guess I should get on with the actual wrapping...

Anyone else still not feeling Christmassy yet? I'm not exactly bah humbug but I'm just not feeling festive...

Hx

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Mavala Angel Violet Diamond - Let the Christmas nails begin!

Hi!

Now I've completed the 33 day challenge, and caught up with samples and swatches I needed to do, I can finally just do the nails I want to do for a while. And that means some Christmassy nails will be coming your way! Not all of them, mind you, but I thought I'd better show you this one quick before they sell out! I was browsing Beauty Expert and feeling very scroogelike when I spotted these cute Mavala polishes, encased in a little box with angel wings, ready to hang on the Christmas tree and had to have one. I needed the Christmas spirit! I chose Violet Diamond, as I didn't have any other glitter similar in my collection (and because it goes with my Christmas tree, which is silver, white, gold and black!) I actually thought it was a full cover glitter, but it isn't so I layered it over Barry M Lilac Foil, and combined with Orly Au Champagne and some snowy stamping for my first Christmas nails of the season.

Mavala Angels are available from Beauty Expert for just £3.83 with free delivery here, but they only have the silver one left now so be quick!

Have your nails gotten festive yet?

Hx

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Quirk Christmas Ltd Edition Duo - Candy Land and Evergreen

Hello!

I'm a seriously lucky girl. I know I bitch and whine but just look at these gorgeous polishes the lovely Kerrie from Quirk (and Pish Posh and Polish) sent me to show you. According to the website, all Quirk’s polishes are hand mixed by Kerrie with an added dash of love in every bottle! Can you see the love? Because I can! I know for a fact that Kerrie has not just dumped a load of glitter into suspension base here, these polishes are rigorously tested before they go on sale and if it isn't good enough, it doesn't make the cut. Which ensures you are getting a quality product. And as an added bonus, these two (very) limited editions come with cute loose glitter that you can either add to the polish (they have been thoroughly tested and are solvent resistant) or place on top of wet polish. These are heavy glitters so I wouldn't just dump them into clear polish - they will sink! I kept mine separate - that way I could place it where I wanted, no fishing for it out of the polish - and I can use it with other polishes too ;)

First up, Candy Land. Can I just say I adore this polish? Candy Land is a mix of two different red glitters and matte white hexes, and comes with loose red candy cane shaped glitter! Cuteness. Oh, and did I mention this is peppermint scented? (Not Peppa Pig as my three year old thinks...) It's just a light scent, and in fact once it's dry you can't make it out at all, but it's definitely a pleasant surprise when you're applying. I used 2 coats of Candy Land over a gradient of Barry M Matte White, Orly Ma Cherie and Nails Inc Tate, except on my ring finger where I used one coat and added two candy canes with my topcoat. LOVE this! I think it would make a great valentines glitter too! And while it works great as a topper, you could probably get it opaque in 3-4 coats without much hassle - the base isn't so thick that it'd never dry either.

Next up, Evergreen. Evergreen is a mix of micro glitter, holographic green hexes and transluscent "glass" glitter, and can also be worn as a topper or build to opacity. This one comes with little holo green Christmas tree glitter, and I placed one at the tip of each nail. This is two coats over Sinful Colors Black on Black and Revlon Emerald City. I feel this is a truly unique polish - I've never seen anything like it and it is so pretty! I'm going to wear it over a navy blue next. Yum!

Both polishes applied like butter - just the right amount of glitter, no fishing, no faffing around putting it where you want it on the nail, no lumps and bumps or dragging.

Are you as excited about these polishes as I am? Because you should be! Be warned though, they are super super limited edition - in fact I think there's only one of each left! They're available from www.quirk-polish.co.uk for £6 each, and check out the So Bloody Miserable collection too!

I bloody love these polishes, so I guess that makes me an official Quirkette! I don't think I've been an official anything before! Exciting!

Hx

The product featured was a PR sample provided to me for free for review consideration. All opinions expressed are my own and 100% honest. Please see my disclaimer in the tab above for further details.

Why are you still reading? Go and buy them!

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Off-topic Tuesday - All I Want for Christmas...

Hey loves!

I have to admit I'm not one to get overly excited about Christmas. It was never a huge occasion when I was growing up, but now my boys are getting older and getting into the magic of it all I'm looking forward to making it special for them. It's been a difficult year for me, and things are still up in the air, and as it happens I might not even get to spend Christmas with them so Mr NN prompted me to think about a few things I might like to receive and I thought I'd share them with you! I hate to say it, but although he has my best interests at heart he usually gets it hopelessly wrong, so this year I will be directing him to this Pinterest board I created (and will be adding to over the next few weeks) and downloading the Pinterest ap to his phone!

My number one want is a nice coffee machine. I've had my eye on a Tassimo since they came out, and now that they do Costa coffee pods that's pretty much sealed the deal for me! I do love a kitchen gadget and this would make a lovely addition to my kitchen counter.

As you would expect, there are a few beauty bits and bobs on my list, and the original Urban Decay Naked palette tops it. I have a love of eyeshadow palettes, and would love to invest in a few higher end ones, and where better to start?

Every year, Soap and Glory have a lovely range of giftsets at Boots, and one is usually reduced to half price for a week. I don't know which is this years bargain set this year, but what ever it is I'd be happy to find it under my tree come Christmas day.

Christmas isn't Christmas without a new perfume, and this year two I'm loving are Calvin Klein Euphoria and Dior Miss Dior. I received a sample of Miss Dior recently and fell in love with it, although it's nothing like my usual scent. It has a sort of powdery, floral note to it but I think that it makes a great day time fragrance. A cheaper, and completely different alternative is Euphoria, more fruity and musky.

I've wanted to try the iconic Liz Earle hot cloth cleanser for a while, and what better way than with a mini set hidden inside a star shaped bauble! So cute.

I couldn't leave nail polish off my list and this year China Glaze wins the battle of the Christmas collections for me (sorry OPI, Mariah just doesn't do it for me). I'd be happy with either of these cute giftsets.

I've talked about my love of Yankee Candles before, but I usually only buy the wax tarts or samplers, very occasionally a small jar but I've now found a fragrance I love and a large jar (at around £18) would be a worthwhile investment. I love the spice in Vanilla Chai, not too strong and not too sweet. It smells completely different unmelted compared to lit so don't let the curry like, cold smell put you off!

A boring one, but I didn't want to over look it as I need a new dressing gown! I think I might ask my Mum for this one, she's good at choosing things like that!

And last but not least, this would be a real treat. I love musicals, and I would LOVE to go and see Charlie and the Chocolate Factory at the Theatre Royal in London. I saw a documentary about it recently and it just looks magical. My Mum would love it too.

Of course, the thing I want the most is to just be with my boys on Christmas day. I would quite happily give anything, anything at all to just be able to see them open their presents and spoil them rotten. Nothing else matters.

Hx

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I fixed it :) and my Christmas manicure

Thank you all for your comments on my last rather panicky post! I did what I said I would and spent some time just buffing and filing the excess gel off my nails and made a HUGE improvement. They're no where near perfect, but from a distance they no longer look like I'd dipped my nails in concrete and then slapped emulsion over them... They don't hurt any more, it was just for an hour or so when I woke up the morning after that they ached, but I will buy some remover and soak them off the first chance I get if they start to ache again! Anyway, thank you all :)

Moving on to the manicure I settled on for Christmas. We're spending today, tomorrow and Boxing day with Mr NN's sister and all of his family and will be staying in a hotel, so I doubt I'll get to change my manicure until boxing night at the earliest. I have packed some remover and a sparkly polish just in case of major chippage, but hopefully I wont need it. For this manicure I used China Glaze Poinsettia and Barry M Gold Foil Effects, and stamped a starry image from sDP-D07. Love it, the stamping isn't perfect (is it ever) and I missed the edges of the nail a few times since I'm not used to the length, but over all I'm happy :)

Swatch of Poinsettia and the foil effect first:

Love.

What do you think? Do they look better? I know they're not perfect buy they're tons better. I'll just keep moisturising them and hopefully I wont have done too much damage!

This is a scheduled post as I'll be on the M1 somewhere when it's posted, so have a fantastic polish-filled Christmas and I'll see you on the other side!

Hx

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Ruby Pumps with bells on...

...literally! I stamped some jingle bells ontop of my Ruby Pumps manicure with Barry M Gold Foil Effects, and then added W7 Gold Dazzle to the tips with an almost dry brush. Suitably blinged for a toddlers Christmas party tomorrow I think!

\double stamping FTW

Hx

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China Glaze Ruby Pumps *drool*

Today I was in a rush, my snowman mani was fading fast and as we still don't heating and I'm spending my evenings layered under twentyeleven billion blankets I couldn't do them last night like I usually do. So that meant either doing them this morning with the kids around *shudder* or going out with naked nails *double shudder*. So I chose a festive colour that I knew was easy to apply and slapped it on with a coat of Seche so the nose wiping and shoe lace tying wouldn't ruin them. I think this is my favourite red ever, it's so sparkly and has so much depth. Here I used 2 coats and the colour really came alive with the second. If my nails were longer (they're shorties again :( but I haz a plan...) I would have applied a third. It's a lovely polish to apply, does exactly what you tell it to and looks perfect. It even water marbles well. Definitely one of my top polishes. I think China Glaze is my favourite brand (Shhh don't tell Barry M) and I *may* have just ordered 6 more... (Shh don't tell Mr NN...) My pictures do it no justice, but believe me it's purdy. Had lots of compliments at fat club this morning :)

I'm going to bling this up a bit later, providing it doesn't chip. Stamping or OPI Gold Shatter (from my Boudoir Prive/Joliebox)? Help me decide?!

Hx

By the way, see the ickle facebook and twitter buttons to the left? Click 'em!

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Ho ho ho!

Santa nails inspired by the beautiful grace at OooooohPretty. I did mine a little different to hers, using MeMeMe Pin Up as the base, then using a big dotting tool and Wet n Wild french white to make a fluffy looking border to the jacket. Then I used Wet n Wild Black cream and a small brush for the belt, and Barry M Gold Foil and a small dotting tool to make the buckle.

Cute!

Anyway, I'm off to be because I have the standard Christmas flu and actually can barely move my head. Breathing though your nose is totally optional anyway, right? Or at least I will be going to bed once this Barry M Croc Effect crackle does it's thang...

Hx

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Let the Christmas nails commence!

Three posts in one day? Why Monsieur you are spoiling us! Ahem. Anyway, here is my first Christmas manicure this year, and it was a really simple one, but it got lots of compliments. I used a pretty shimmery blue from a Beauty Uk gift set and dabbed on Barry M Silver Glitter (I spent £6 on Barry M in Boots and got it free - it says Limited Edition, but really it's just been repackaged with a holo cap, I'm sure its exactly the same as their usual silver glitter) half way down the nail.

The next day, partly because I didn't want to take it off and partly because I want to do at least one snow flake manicure I stamped some silver snowflakes with BM14 and added a pale blue rhinestone to the middle.

Sorry about the tipwear, I only remembered to take the pics after doing the washing up...

Chipped thumbs are chipped...

This is such a pretty blue. I don't have many blues, and off the top of my head this is the only one I have that is shimmery, and not cream or glitter. And it's soo pretty. I wore it on my toes for a long time when I first got it :)

Another bonus of this polish is that it doesn't stain! No smurf nails here I shall have you know! How do I know it doesn't stain, you ask? Well I have already replaced it with another Christmassy design :) Until tomorrow,

Hx

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