NYE sophisticated glitz and glamour

So 2013 is very nearly over, and I still can't get over how quick this year has gone.. I hope everyone's had an amazing year!

For this NYE I have gone for a more sophisticated look but still with the necessary NYE sparkle....

First I used Barry M 'Countess' from their  Royal Glitter Collection and this has to be one of my absolute favourite winter nail varnish colours. It's a rich deep burgandy, packed full of bronze, red, silver and gold finely milled glitter particles and you literally only need one coat of this for full coverage, it's amazing! 

Of course you could just use this one colour on its own and it would still look lovely but because it's NYE which is a perfect excuse to "go sparkly or go home" I then added a top coat of Nails Inc 'Glamour glitter' which was free out of glamour magazine a while ago but is the perfect for adding that little extra 'zazz' as it isn't too packed full of gold glitter so it adds a nice subtle layer on top of the nail. 

As you can see in the picture above these two nail varnishes are the perfect duo! It's still nice and glittery but without being too in your face.

Finally, add a layer or two of top coat to make your nails extra glossy (I highly recommend seche vite top coat, it is truly amazing, it's gives your nails a gel-like effect and dries in seconds!!) 

... And that's it!! 

I hope everyone has a lovely NYE, and I'll see you all next year for another tutorial! 

- Sophie x

Christmas mix and match

What better way to get you into the festive spirit than to paint your nails all Christmassy? 

I haven't done a tutorial for this as I used that many different colours and nail art pens, but each nail is really simple to do! 

For all the colours, pick your base colour, then use the right colour to do the shape of the animal/character, and finally use nail art pens for the details such as eyes, scarf, belt etc.

I chose some of my favourite things about Christmas but you can pick anything like snowflakes, Christmas tree, Christmas puddings, bows, or anything glittery! 

I hope you liked this quick post, I've got one more Christmas themed post coming up next week so keep your eyes out for it! :)

- Sophie x

Sparkly snowflakes

I've got another quick Christmas nail art post for you...

For this I used Essie 'Midnight Cami' as my base colour which is a gorgeous metallic navy, and then I layered Models Own 'Jack Frost' (isn't that just the best Christmas name for a nail polish!?) on top to add some extra sparkle.

Then using my trusty Models Own white nail art pen I painted a large snowflake on each nail and added a couple of scattered dots. You don't have to do just one big snowflake, you could change it and do a couple of smaller ones, or alternate on each nail!

Finally just to add that extra bit of sparkle I glued on a couple of white and blue gem stones that I got from a mixed set off eBay..

.. And that's it! Simple, quick and rather pretty Christmas nails, and the perfect alternative to traditional red and gold patterns! 

Hope you like this pattern,

Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas! 

- Sophie x

A 'Stroke of Brilliance' from Essie

ITS CHRISTMASSSSSSSS!!!! ...

.. well nearly!

It's only 15 days until Christmas now, so it's the perfect time to embrace all things glittery and sparkly!

I was browsing boots the other week and was immediately drawn to the Essie stand thanks to their new 'Luxeffects' range which consists of 5 gorgeous and dreamy top coats packed full of glittery goodness! There's a gold, silver, white and pink one but the one that really caught my eye was the blue glitter called "Stroke of Brilliance" seen in the photo above...

And let me tell you, it really is a stroke of brilliance!! I just had to buy this colour as it's nothing like any other glitter nail polish I have. It is full of different sized navy/metallic blue glitter particles and looks so amazing on the nails as it catches the light so beautifully which gives it a silvery effect too.

As with all Essie nail polishes the consistency is perfection. The brush packs the perfect amount of glitter on each application and the wide fan style brush gives a beautiful even cover of the polish on the nail.

The formula is very chip resistant! In the swatch photo above (that I took today) I've actually had this nail varnish on for a week now and haven't had to touch it up at all! I decided to layer it over a dark metallic blue to show off the gorgeous two tone of the glitter but I think this would look beautiful over a pale blue or even white!

I think this is a perfect glitter nail polish for the Christmas season as it makes a nice change from traditional gold/red/green glitter! 

I hope you enjoyed this review, let me know if you've tried any of the Essie 'luxeffects' range, and what your favourite Christmas nail varnishes are! 

- Sophie x

(P.S sorry about the lack of blogging in November, it was such a hectic month at University with too many assignment deadlines, and i completely lost track of time.. I didn't realise it had been a month since my last post! So so sorry! Now that my assignments are nearly complete i'm hoping to get back on track with my blogging and fingers crossed will be able to get a new post up every week or at least every fortnight! Thank you for bearing with me! xx)