Valentine Heart Manicure

It's getting to the sexy time of year where we celebrate Valentine's day! And it wouldn't be Valentine's day if there wasn't themed nail art to go along with it!

This year I've gone for some more textured nails, as I had a few heart themed things to try. The first being the Alexa Chung Hearts polish I got in my Nails Inc kit at Christmas, and the second being the red Ciate velvet I've had for ages and been meaning to try. As you may know I also have the green velvet from the emerald collection, and have done a few furry designs with that, but the red velvet called out to be used at Valentine's season.

The red that came with the Ciate velvet was the very aptly named, 'Bodouir', and I just free handed the heart and patted on the velvet, for a fluffy heart. As for the Alexa Chung heart polish, application wasn't as easy as I'd have hoped. I wanted one quick sweep to give me flawless heart coverage, but unfortunately you have to work quite hard to get them out. I find swirling the brush around until you get a few hearts on the end, and the strategically placing them on the nail is the technique you need to adopt.

Nevertheless, it looks pretty cool and its a cute textured alternative mani from the usual hearts we see this time of year!

Love Steph x

Glitter Gradient

Hello everyone! Today marks the official countdown to Christmas. Monday 1st December. And what better way to mark this monumental monday than with a manicure!? I actually did these nails last week and they lasted a whole week just in time for my Christmas party on Friday night.

I did this really simple mani using my red lollipops polish I got in my Glossy/birch box (I can't remember which) as it is such a good bright red especially for Christmas. I then used this 2 true nail glitter I got in my most recent Glossybox on a clear coat of polish. I dropped it on the ends and then patted some glitter down the nail to get the gradient. and then sealed it all in with another coat of clear polish.

This is a really simple look that anyone can do, and it would look great with all kinds of colour combinations!

Tom Ford Lip Gloss

The department store I work at got a Tom Ford counter a few months ago. When it was going in I went in early to help, and this is what I got as a Thank You which was so worth getting up early for!

The counter where I work specialises in the fragrance of Tom Ford, and also sells the nail varnishes (which I have had my eyes on!). We do not sell any of the makeup, but the quality of the lip gloss is fantastic so I would be interested in trying it.

The gloss I received is called 'Lost Cherry' which is a very bright red colour which, as a lover of a red lip, I absolutely adore. You can apply it by itself for a very intense colour of over lipstick to add shine. I prefer to wear it by itself. I don't usually like gloss, but this is not sticky at all.

Here is a picture I posted on my Instagram a few weeks ago wearing it. As you can see it has a very strong colour. It such a great accessory for my handbag as the name is an accessory itself. The packaging and everything about it is so classy, and especially around this time of year, it has been one of my most used products.

Cartoon Nails

If any of you 'like' my Facebook page (and you should! Link here), then you would have seen I posted a picture of my latest Scratch Magazine front cover, which is a seemingly cartoon picture of a woman on the phone, slightly Roy Lichenstein-esque. However this picture is made entirely from make-up, and a bit of airbrushing I'm sure for the sharpness. Nevertheless it is pretty impressive, and the hands and nails in particularly interested me. Making something 3D look 2D is a pretty difficult task!

I tried to do something similar and create a 2D effect. I used nail pens to create shadows and highlighting with nail pens, and I used a matte top coat to create the cartoon strip effect. These reminded me of when I did pop art nails, where I used a similar concept. 

I find them quite strange and they mess with my head a bit, but it's a really easy and simple look that is really effective. Would you try it? Also, I have a new badge to put on my pictures for authenticity. Swish!

Jessica Limited Edition Summer Colours

Pink Shockwaves

This colour somehow manages to look hot pink but almost pastel at the same time. It's a cool bubblegum colour and would look great worn on the beach.

Atomic Red

I absolutely love this red. It is like no other red I've seen before. It has hints of orange and coral and is a polish I will be saving up for.

Radioactive

Love her or hate her, Jessie J caused quite a trend in the nail world when she wore green nails on 'The Voice UK'. Ever since then green nail polish has become the in thing, and this polish certainly does not disappoint.  I think you'd have to be quite confident to wear it but it would definitely look amazing.

Yellow Lightning

Finally this bright yellow is another one to be worn with confidence. I personally have never worn yellow polish because I was always told yellow washed me out, but if I ever get a tan this summer, I will certainly be trying this one out as I think it would look so chic. This yellow just summaries summer for me!

Jessie J showing off her green nail polish, similar to 'Radioactive' 

Bare Minerals Lipstick

Yesterday was pay day for me so today I went on a little splurge and bought a new bright red lipstick which I've been meaning to replace for ages. This Bare Minerals lipstick is a bright red from the new Marvelous Moxie range. This shade is called 'Live It Up' and it has such a strong pigment. It feels like a balm when it's on and it is meant to make lips look fuller. One of the things I love about this lipstick apart from the colour, is the lid. It's a bit of a granny thing to say but I love how you have to release a catch to take the lid off. It makes the lipstick very handbag proof, as you don't have to worry about the lid coming off and all that weird handbag fluff getting to it (don't act like you don't know what handbag fluff is). Bare Minerals is a makeup brand that use only minerals, making it healthier for the skin. This is my first purchase from them but I really want to explore the brand more soon!

Cringe

So there you have it! Hope you enjoy your weekends everyone!

O.P.I Minnie Mouse Collection

This is the second Minnie Mouse collection from O.P.I. This collection captures the more sultry, grown up Minnie. The vintage Minnie collection that came out last year was so popular they decided to bring out a new, more couture collection, inspired by the London and Paris catwalks.

Last year's vintage Minnie Collection courtesy of Google

The new five piece Couture collection is sure to appeal to all women, with different shades and textures throughout. Where as the last collection was quite girly and pink, this collection is more sophisticated has deep reds and chic pale pinks.

'Chic From Ears To Tail' is a light bubblegum pink which is fun and cute.

'A Definite Moust-Have' is a coral colour which is right on trend for summer. Its bright and beautiful.

'Magazine Cover Mouse' is the only liquid sand in the collection which is very popular the year. The textured red adds some sparkle to red.

'Innie Minnie Mightie Bow' is the deepest most sophisticated of the bunch.

'Minnie Style' is a confetti style polish that would look great over any of the above polishes. If you build this up it could also look really effective on its own.

O.P.I and planning some Disney inspired collections such as the edgy side of Tinkerbell! What Disney characters would you like to see in a nail collection?

Christmas Nails