15 Dec: Ciate Mini Mani Month – Headliner

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Today’s shade was Headliner, a strong, pastel-hued teal creme. The formula today was really impressive – a very thick liquid that went on well and gave great coverage!

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Ciate’s site says: “Turquoise, an extraordinary cocktail of blue and green and a marriage made in fashion heaven! If you love to colour clash, this is a perfect mix to your colour scheme by adding a unique blue tone to your collection.”

Quite by accident, the colour exactly matches the boxes of Nintendo’s new Wii U console games!

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Pretty funny coincidence – I thought it was neat, anyway! Any Nintendo PR girls should take note!

The pics above were taken in daylight, but I also took some shots later in the afternoon (in Starbucks actually, getting my Eggnog latte in!).

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14 Dec: Ciate Mini Mani Month – Speed Dial

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Today’s post is a bit late because I was on deadline – ugh! Anyway, I still managed to find time to get the snaps in during daylight, so there’s that! The shade is called Speed Dial, and it’s a deep coral pink – although the website describes it as orange…

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It definitely doesn’t look like the colour on Ciate’s site, where the description reads: “An extremely juicy orange. Wear two coats to induce a sunny smile every time you catch a glimpse of your nails.”

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It’s definitely a vibrant shade – a bit of sunshine in December, maybe? Not something I’d pick myself, but it looked better on my nails than in the bottle… What did you think – was your shade as pink hued as mine?

13 Dec: Ciate Mini Mani Month – Glass Slipper

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Today it’s the first exclusive colour in the Mini Mani Month, Glass Slipper! It’s a turquoise glitter suspended in clear varnish. You need a lot of layers to get good coverage!

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The formula is actually pretty hard to work with, as it’s very thick – in the end, I was dabbing it on rather than applying it properly with brush strokes.

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It’s a very pretty shade, but I don’t think it’s my colour – a wee bit young, perhaps? What did you guys think?

12 Dec: Ciate Mini Mani Month – Twilight

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Ooo, what a dark beauty this one is! Behind door 12 is Twilight, a dark, deep, black infused with golden olive flecks. Another confession here – my friends had already raided my Ciate calendar when they popped over for tea the other day, and Lorraine actually kidnapped Twilight to wear at a wedding last weekend! By chance, she had a beautiful black and greenish gold dress that looked like it was made for this colour. Luckily, she returned it last night – just in time!

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This is definitely my favourite shade so far (not including the Caviar Pearls, of course!) as it’s so unique and very pretty. Ciate’s site says: “A rich and glamorous black polish with teeny flecks of golden glitter for the ultimate after dark treat. Tremendously special.” It certainly is – love it!

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6 Dec: Ciate Mini Mani Month – Angel Wings

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Day six of the Mini Mani Month, and today’s colour is Angel Wings, a pretty, shimmery white. Ciate says: “The perfect pretty pearl. Clean fresh and perfect for the ultimate high fashion look. Team with your cropped jacket and pearls for a finish of class and luxury.”

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In all honesty, I found this hard to apply – it was quite streaky and I needed three coats to get rid of all traces of my nail colour. Also, because my nails often peel (ugh, I know), the shimmer caught the imperfections of my nails and showed them up, rather than helping to conceal them.

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That said, the colour is very pretty and pearlescent, especially under soft lighting.

I had a Christmas present delivery today for my sister in law, and of course, I couldn’t resist adding a little something for myself too (the old one for me, one for you rule, I’m sure you’re familiar with it…) – a lovely new bottle of Pirouette My Whistle from OPI, which is part of the New York City Ballet collection, but is also beautiful for frosty, winter nails! It’s a subtle glitter in a clear top coat, with white hexagonal shapes inside (tricky to get those to stay on my nails, but I persevered!).

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I think it adds the perfect festive finish to these nails – an extra dimension of Christmassy-ness!

4 Dec: Ciate Mini Mani Month – Prom Queen

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Yay! My first ever Ciate Caviar! I’ve been dying try these out ever since I heard about them, so this morning was like an early Christmas for me!

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The calendar comes with a cute little funnel to pour the beads back into the bottle when you’re done. I’d read about how to do these Caviar manicures on various blogs, so I knew what to do – and it was very easy, I have to say! I’m not sure what I thought would be hard about it, but it was very quick and simple to pour the beads onto my wet nail, push down, and then repour for extra coverage. I applied it over a plate with a sheet of greaseproof paper on it, so I could just fold the paper up and pour back into the bottle, and it all went without a hitch. I only did one nail on each hand, because I didn’t want to get carried away – plus, I cook a lot and I didn’t want to shed baubles into my fajitas tonight (oo er!).

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As for the Caviar itself, it was everything I hoped for and more! Again, not a colour I would have picked for myself, but I love it – the mixture of blue, silver and pink is very pretty, and the nail’s texture is divine. There are also pieces of flat, hexagonal, reflective discs in the pot, which add a bit of interest to the baubles.

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I’m very impressed with how well the baubles are sticking to my nail at the moment – I applied top coat to the tips, but all of the balls feel very sturdy. However, the test will be whether they can withstand a shower – I’m betting not, but I’ll let you know tomorrow!

3 Dec: Ciate Mini Mani Month – Halo

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Third of December already! Today, it’s Halo! The website description reads: “Let this beautiful colour see the light and you are sure to see the rainbow. A delicate pearl that can be built up or left for a natural irridescent glow on the nail. Perfect for those who like a barely there look with a smile-inducing twist.”

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It’s a beautiful, ethereal and girly colour, with flecks of shimmery pink and blue embedded in it – I wore it with three layers to create a stronger look.

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It’s a very subtle festive look – I’m definitely feeling in the Christmas mood now!

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2 Dec: Ciate Mini Mani Month – Dangerous Affair

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Ooo, I love this red! Red nail varnish is definitely my thing!

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Dangerous Affair is a very rich, dark red creme – the website describes it as: “Stunningly beautiful burgundy colour. Looks fabulous with a crisp white shirt and light blue skinny jeans.”2 Dec Dangerous Affair Ciate Mini Mani Month (6)

Love that style idea – in my imagination, this is the kind of thing a glossy, carefree gal would wear on a casual lunch date with her friends, perhaps with her hair pulled into a high pony tail, minimal make-up, and a great big leather tote. I think I have an overactive imagination, maybe…

What do you guys think? I’m only two days in to this advent calendar project, and loving it!