Category: Fashion

Halloween Snakeskin Nail Art Tutorial

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I’m really getting into the Halloween spirit here, and this is my third and final Halloween nail tutorial. (You can see my post about a pretty starry night tutorial here, and a pumpkin confetti tutorial here.)

As I’m going to be dressing as Medusa this Halloween, I thought a snakeskin mani was the only appropriate choice for nail art! Luckily, it’s pretty easy to replicate this.

Snakeskin Montage 1Indigo Skull Scarf, Alexander McQueen

All you need is are two contrasting colours, some lace, and a makeup sponge. I’ve found that this effect works best if you use a dark colour underneath and a lighter colour on top. My tools are in the top left, and my first attempt is on the top right. Bottom left shows you how to place the lace over your varnished nail: basically, paint your nails as usual with your base and colour, then stretch over the lace and sponge the lighter top coat over the top, very sparingly. You then end up with the effect on the right! I used Ruby & Millie in Green, and topped with Revlon’s Gold Coin. Then, a slick of Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat, if you’re happy with the look. But me, I’m NEVER happy…

Snakeskin Montage 2Snake Finger Tip Ring, ASOS / Grey Snakeskin Bag, Primark / Snake Bracelet, ASOS / Snake Necklace, eBay / Grey Skull Bracelet, Links of London

The top two images are the plain snakeskin mani, but if your base colour is very opaque, you can paint that over the top again, and get a really subtle snakeskin look, especially if you use a metallic glitter like I did…

But wait! There’s more!

Matte montageEmerald Ring, Primark

If you’re going the whole hog, you may as well add some OPI Matte Top Coat, too! I found it really makes the snakeskin effect pop through the opaque layer…

Matte nails 2

Any plans for fancy nails this Halloween? Is anyone going to try out these tutorials? Let me know below!

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Halloween Confetti: Pumpkin Manicure

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Halloween confetti text 1

Another manicure inspired by Pinterest (specifically this one), this is pretty much a copy, except it’s matte. So, in essence, it’s a completely original idea I had all by myself. Hooray!

I’ve been totally obsessed with matte nails for ages, and it’s fascinating what a difference it can make to the overall look just to take off the shine. Somehow it looks more… I’m trying to think of a word other than polished, but I can’t. Holy contradiction, Batman!

Halloween confetti mosiac

At my local Boots, I found a grand total of three different orange polishes and ended up plumping for Maybelline Orange Attack, as it was the most vibrant. I always use Nailtiques Formula 2 Plus on my nails, as they are very weak and need all the help they can get. After that, a couple of coats of Orange Attack, then a couple of L’Oreal Confetti Top Coat, then one of Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat. Then, the finishing touch – a swipe of OPI’s Matte Top Coat to finish.

Halloween confetti text 2

An easy, effective Halloween manicure that looks much more complex than it actually is. One word of caution – the Confetti Top Coat is incredibly difficult to remove! You have been warned… WHOOOOO! (Insert spooky sound effect.)

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Designer Accessories: The Wishlist Edit

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If you could make a list of your top five most wanted designer accessories, what would you include?

Designer Accessories
For me, it’s got to be Chanel studs (in gold, please!), an iconic skull scarf from Alexander McQueen, and to continue the theme, a skull bracelet from Links of London, plus a pretty black Alexa from Mulberry with soft gold furniture (I love black and gold together!) – and of course, what else but a pair of classic Louboutin pumps in black, with sky high heels!
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Ciate Mini Mani Month 2013 Sneak Preview

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Mini Mani Month 2013 sneek peek sideMini Mani Month 2013 sneek peek backMini Mani Month 2013 frontMini Mani Month 2013 front sneak peek wholeDec 24 SerendipityDec 24 Serendipity back
Dec 24 peekDec 23 peekDec 23 LocketDec 23 Locket backDec 22 peekDec 22 Christmas Tree Caviar
Dec 22 Christmas Tree Caviar backDec 21 peekDec 21 ConfettiDec 21 Confetti backDec 20 peekDec 20 Ivory Queen
Dec 20 Ivory Queen backDec 19 UnderwearDec 19 Underwear backDec 18 peekDec 18 Amazing GracieDec 18 Amazing Gracie back

I’ve noticed a lot of traffic coming my way from people searching for Ciate’s Mini Mani Month. So, here is a sneak peek of every single bottle inside the advent calendar, for those of you (like me!) who just can’t wait until December! Just click above to be taken to my Flickr photostream.

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Halloween Accessories: The Medusa Edition

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Halloween is fast approaching, and if you don’t want to go the whole hog with your costume, you can add some bold accessories to a simple black outfit to create a stylish and spooky look for any party! This year, I’m going as Medusa, and while my costume is nothing to speak of, I’ve been having a great time looking through the many accessories on offer from http://www.asos.com. Here are some of my favourites!

Medusa Style

 
(Just click on the graphic to be taken to Polyvore, where you can find individual links to all of these items.)

There are literally dozens of options for rings, earrings, necklaces and bracelets on the site, and the good thing is, you can wear these items year round! Don’t just save the snake motif for Halloween… I’d like to know what you’re planning for Halloween! Let me know what costume you’re thinking of unleashing this 31st!
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Bag ‘n’ Shoes: Mulberry Bryn and Ugg Illana

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If you told me a year ago I’d be proudly modelling Ugg boots, I would have thought you were crazy. Don’t get me wrong, I think they’re super comfy and I’d love a pair, but they’re not exactly the prettiest of boots. However, earlier this year, I popped into the Ugg outlet store at Bicester Village, and came home with a beautiful pair of Illanas! And, what better bag to pair them with than my new Mulberry Bryn?

Ugg and Mulberry Bryn main

These shoes definitely kick started my love of ponyhair, once I’d realised they weren’t made of actual ponies, that is (derp).

Ugg and Mulberry Bryn Montage 1

The shoes are lined inside with a shearling type material, making them super fluffy and comfortable – although they are very high (and slightly perilous) and I’ve been banned from wearing them around certain people!

Ugg and Mulberry Bryn Montage 2

But hey, life’s too short to wear practical shoes every day. And you can quote me on that!

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Bag ‘n’ Shoes: grey tote and River Island skull flats

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If you follow me on Instagram or Twitter you may have already seen these awesome new grey flats I bought from River Island in the ASOS sale – perfect for Halloween! I love the pointed toe – I used to think pointed toes were slightly crazy, but I’ve definitely warmed to the look, provided they’re not too pointed at the tips… If I was mathematical I could probably work out the exact angle that hits my sweet spot, but that was never my strong subject at school…

Bag and Shoes grey skulls

I decided to pair them with my grey tote bag seen in this post – not very exciting, but it is pretty voluminous and handy for carrying my secret weapon… SLIPPERS! That’s right! When I visit folks I take slippers with me, because that’s just how I roll.

River Island skulls Montage

If you are convinced of the awesomeness of these shoes, they are still available in limited sizes at ASOS here.

A starry night manicure for Halloween

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I love Halloween, and I usually spend most of October getting ready for it – can you tell? While Halloween itself is but one day a year, you can still let a little magic into your life this month with this pretty matte navy and gold mani, originally inspired by this Pin I found, which sadly leads nowhere now! The thing I like about this look is that it’s smart enough to be worn any time of year, but still has that special spooky something if you want to show some Halloween love without resorting to the obvious green, orange and black.

Halloween manicure OPI

Creating this look couldn’t be easier – you just need a dark blue colour, plus a top coat with gold flecks, and a matte finish. I used OPI’s Keeping Suzi At Bay, The Man With The Golden Gun, and Matte Top Coat.

Halloween manicure OPI

All I did was layer on one coat of Suzi (top), then two of Golden Gun (left), and then one of the Matte (right). I don’t know whether I prefer it glossy or matte, because either way I totally love this look! It took me ages to decide which blue to get, because usually I end up with a dark navy that winds up just looking black on my nails. But this colour is deep and beautiful, with a pretty pigment that’s perfect for autumn and winter!

Halloween manicure OPI

So, whether you’re celebrating Halloween, Bonfire Night, or any other wintery holiday, I think this is a great look that’s  opulent, classic and stylish all at the same time. Though, I still fall in love with pretty much any colour topped with The Man With The Golden Gun, so I may be biased!

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Bag ‘n’ Shoes: Juicy Couture Bowling Bag and Croc Kurt Geiger flats

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I thought I’d go back in time for this week’s bag ‘n’ shoes post – these are probably my oldest ‘fancy’ shoes and bag. In fact, I think the Juicy Couture bag was my first ‘designer’ bag, bought way back when at Net-A-Porter in the sale for a little over £100. At the time, I was young, free and single, and living at home, but that was still a huge chunk o’cash! Luckily, I still love the bag to bits – literally. There are missing embellishments everywhere, and owing to some storage issues, it was recently rediscovered smelling a tad musty – but I’ve been working on that! (Oh yeah, this isn’t one of those fancy ‘lifestyle’ blogs that paints over all the less than rosy aspects. I mean, look at those weeds on my patio!)

Untitled

It’s fair to say I’ve grown out of JC since, but this bag will always have a place in my wardrobe. The jute and pink thread combo, plus the chocolate brown trim, just does it for me every time! I paired it with another blast from the past – one of the first pairs of shoes I ever bought in the Harrod’s sale – brown croc Kurt Geigers, which seriously need another clean and polish!

Juicy Couture and Kurt montage 1

These were probably the first pair of flats I ever bought, because as a teenager, I just lived in trainers. I can’t believe how long these shoes have lasted, but, again, I still love them as much now – maybe more – as the day I bought them! That square toe, those laces! The curved trim! Ahh.

Juicy Couture and Kurt montage 2

I guess this is a caution to make sure you always store your bags properly – and even if you think they’re safe, air them out every season. Trust me, it’s a lot of trouble to freshen them up again!

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Halloween Style

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You don’t have to dress up as a vampire or a witch to let a little Halloween spirit into your life – I spend most of October celebrating my spooky side, and embracing every opportunity to display my love of the paranormal. This year I decided to do a round up of some of my favourite Halloween items to bring scary flair to your outfits!

Halloween Style

As you can see, I went a little skull crazy with the accessories, but thanks to Alexander McQueen, skulls are a pretty iconic fashion statement. Display them everywhere from shoes, to necklaces, to bracelets (I so need one of those adorable Links of London bracelets!). Cats also have a spooky reputation as witches familiars, so these cool tights from Monki Bibi are a great way to introduce them to your Halloween outfit – or just wear a beanie, like this one from River Island! Ciate do some great nail colours for Halloween (from left to right, I’ve featured Stiletto, Twilight and Hopscotch), so even if you’re not busting out any fancy nail art, you can still get in on the fun. And finally, if you don’t want to go the whole hog with these cool themed T-shirts and tanks I found on ASOS, then channel some gothic glam with black, sequins and glitter, like with this cool dipped hem top.

What do you think of Halloween fashion? Do you get into the festivities wholeheartedly, or do you prefer to keep it subtle with a few little touches here and there?

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