Halloween Confetti: Pumpkin Manicure

October 27, 2013October 22, 20137 Comments

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!

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.

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.)

A starry night manicure for Halloween (foodfashfit.com)

Fake flowers for your hair

February 11, 2013January 30, 2013Leave a comment

If you follow me on Pinterest, you might have noticed my massive English Country Garden board, full of flower garlands, lacey shoes, 50s prom dresses and pretty floral fabrics. This is the mood board for my Ascot outfit this year (you know I love Ascot!) and the idea (at the moment, anyway) is to make floral headdresses. And so, because when I decide to do anything, it must be done immediately, when I was in London last month, I decided to do a bit of research into floral headdresses by checking out the range of artificial flowers on offer.

Artificial flowers are like anything else – you can pay pennies or pounds (hundreds of pounds, to be exact), and in general, you get what you pay for. In a high-end shop (in a secret location, as they ‘don’t do social media’… Good luck to ’em!) I found some beautiful blooms that would end up setting you back about £100 for a headdress. Generally, artificial flowers cost the same price as eight weeks of fresh – which makes sense when you’re buying for somewhere like a hotel or restaurant. Not so much when you’re buying them for what amounts to a hat!

This bundle below, for example, cost £49 (ouch!).

If you want to go the other end of the scale, Ikea do a range of flowers that start from 65p!

I guess it all depends on how closely people will be looking at your head, right?!

Nailed it! Dotty manicure with Nails Inc Porchester Square and Ciate Minis

February 8, 2013January 30, 2013Leave a comment

When I saw this pin on Pinterest a while ago, I knew I had to make my own version! Creating using dotting tools, this simple manicure doesn’t take too much skill to create, but it certainly makes an impact. So, I ordered some tools from eBay, and got to work…

Thanks to Ciate’s Mini Mani Month, I had plenty of colours to choose from, so I decided to layer my Porchester Square mini from Nails Inc (which I got in my first GlossyBox back in November) with dots from Dangerous Affair, Power Dressing and Cookies and Cream.

First of all, I painted my nails with Porchester Square (really good formula, only needed one coat!) and then, when it dried, I dipped the largest dotting tool into my first colour, and just blobbed circles of varnish on the nail. A tip for this is to not use too much, as you end up with a raised bump of paint which takes forever to dry, and looks a bit weird. Dab on one colour, then allow to dry before placing the second – the paints will mix otherwise. And, it looks really cool if you can overlap some too!

Here’s the finished product! I thought this was fun – and the colours really worked well together too, but of course, you can use any scheme you like for a special event. I’ll definitely be doing this again.

Anyone else tried the dotty manicure?

7 Dec: Ciate Mini Mani Month – Cutie Pie

December 7, 2012December 14, 2012Leave a comment

Today it’s Cutie Pie! In the bottle, it’s a solid baby pink hue, but it actually goes on very sheer, giving your nails a French manicure look. Here’s what the Ciate website says about this creme: “A soft, girly pink. Apply one coat for a hint of pink gloss on your nails or three coats for clean light pink hue.”

I’m wearing three coats in this photo, and it’s still very sheer. It was also hard to apply without streaks, but I think I just about managed it. This is the kind of colour I wouldn’t pick up usually, but after applying it I realised that I already have a very similar colour (French Rose from Rimmel) that I bought to do French manicures! I don’t think this sheer colour suits my damaged nails, but if yours are in good condition it’s a lovely neutral tone. Very romantic and subtle – good for weddings, maybe!