Day 31: New Year: The Past, The Future, and a Big Reveal (it's going to be a long one)

Today marks the end of the nail art challenge which I have hugely enjoyed doing as per usual! Before we get onto the nail art though, I think as we are heading into a New Year, a little bit of reflection is in order, plus once you've read it, my nail art will make more sense...

New Year is always a great time to look to the future and make changes, whether it's to get fit (need to do), cut down on something (nail varnish: still need to do) or to just generally make peace with yourself. It is also a great time to look back on the past year, and things you have accomplished.

I started this blog exactly 2 years ago today as a New Year Resolution. In my first ever post, I explained how I wanted to blog as a hobby, and to keep me in the habit of writing. If I'm honest, beauty was something that never interested me, but my job as a sales assistant in a natural skincare department meant I was being given lots of nice things to try, and being trained on brands which was really informative. I put two and two together, and decided to start a beauty blog, so I could share all of these useful things with others!

Very quickly, I could see how people spend lots of money on beauty, as I was finally jumping on the beauty band wagon my friends had got on long ago. Suddenly I knew what a serum was, and what the benefits of regular exfoliation can do, and I was instantly hooked. I even remember a friend of mine and I writing a A4 sheet list of things we needed to make ourselves 'Goddesses'. It goes without saying that there is so much more to life than beauty and looks, which I am a firm believer of, and I certainly don't want to come across as shallow or vain, but it is something everyone can relate too, as it makes us all feel good when we feel we look good, and that is simply, what I love about it.

I still have so much to learn about the beauty industry, and am by no means an expert which I hope I don't come across as trying to be with my blog. If anything, I just wanted to show people all these cool things that were available that I didn't know about before, and to tell you guys if they were worth buying or not!

 My blog has however opened my eyes to the idea of a career in beauty, especially writing about it, as my blog is something I really enjoy doing. I mean, it's something I do after a full day at work with absolutely no profit, yet I still soldier on to try and make sure I make regular posts to please, realistically about 5 people. That is commitment for you! I do find it really rewarding though, and having a little extra curricular hobby is nice for me as I'm not one of these people who can relax and watch TV all evening, I'm a bit too hyper for that.

By no means has my blog become a overnight raving success such as Zoella, who now has her own book and beauty brand, but I am still shocked at how well my blog has done, and how I still manage to get views on the posts I do. Looking back on old posts, I can see how much I've grown, even if its just down to better photography or 'beauty terminology'.

Some highlights for me have been reaching a staggering 4000+ views on my Bleach London post I did. I have no idea why it has been so popular, but I still gets regular views everyday despite being written a while ago now. My blog gave me the confidence to put myself forward for a magazine article which was then published online which was a bit cool. I've also really embraced the social media side to blogging, and have regular chats with absolute strangers about things such as what is the best remedy for an annoying spot.

On a more personal level, for me, 2014 has been one of the fastest years of my life. I have done so much I can't even begin to explain how much fun I've had. Something I'm particularly proud of, is that I've seen so many of my favourite music acts at stand alone gigs or at Glastonbury Festival. I also swam with sharks, and went on a summer and skiing holiday. I have had one of the most exciting years of my life, for one that I thought was going to be boring. I guess it comes to the awkward/ exciting part of my post now. The reason I thought my year would be boring is because I've been saving up all my money, as I reveal that I am going travelling this year.

As most of you who read thing blog are my friends or family, you will know that travelling is something I have planned on doing as soon as I left university. I am finally pleased to say that on March 6th 2015, I will be flying to Rio, Brazil, where I will start my indefinite journey around the world. I can now do a picture of my nail art for the New Year, as in 9 weeks from now, I will be embarking on my terrifying, yet unbelievably exciting trip around the world.

I can't strictly call these nail art, as I have literally cut out some maps from an atlas which I butchered, and then shaped them into little decals for my nail, but if you go from the little finger to the thumb, that is the order of the places I'm going, so there is a little insight into some of the places I shall be visiting on my trip! 'Why am I telling you this over my blog though?' I hear you cry!

 Well a few people have said that they want me to document my travels whilst I'm away, providing I can get to a computer and wifi access. But I wanted to know if you would mind if I did it on here, after all we've all got to know each other on here for the last 2 years. I think it will add a new dimension to my blog, and a more personal level if you will. The people who read this blog though are people who want to read about beauty though, not what I will smell like after a 6 week trek around South America. I'll try and find a way of making it a separate column or something, but I guess the point I'm trying to make is, if you want to follow me still on my journey, even though it goes against the whole meaning of my blog, then welcome, to What A Looker On Tour! Obviously whilst I'm away I'm going to be spying foreign beauty products to try so I will regularly update on those, but it is going to be a new journey for me and my little blog, so I can't always promise regular posts, as I want to enjoy my trip as much as I bloody can!

If you have read this far thank you for sticking with me, I really apologise for the essay, and I guess I don't really know what the point of this post is. I guess I just wanted to share with you what I've been doing for the last year, what I've been proud of, and my plans for the future. Sometimes it's nice to break down the fourth wall and see that I have a life beyond what you see me post on here :)  Please comment and let me know if you would like to follow me on my journey.

Thanks for reading guys, and thank you for sticking with me throughout the December nail art challenge. 

January will be back to lots of product reviews I promise! I wish you all the most amazing, successful and prosperous New Year's, and hope you too can accomplish some of your wishes.

Steph xxx

Day 28: Sweater

Hello everyone, welcome back! Hope you are all over your food comas from Christmas, and haven't been too spoiled! Today's prompt is 'Sweater', and as we all know, the tacky, typical lary jumper is a fashion statement these days. The more old fashioned, badly-knitted-by-your-Nan, and homemade looking, the better.

I saw this jumper from Warehouse at work, and although I do not own it, I quite liked the colour scheme of it, so I went ahead and did my nails based on this!

I actually did these a while ago and these were the first designs I tried with my new Barry M Nail art pens, so I wasn't quite used to them. I'd have preferred the detail of the reindeers to come out neater, but I can always try again in the future!

 Enjoy the last few days of rest before New Year!

I'll be seeing you then!

Day 25: Festive

It's here! MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

I hope you are having a lovely Christmas day, and if your reading this, thank you for taking time out of your holiday to read this post! So today's nail art prompt is festive, and I thought what is more festive than opening your Christmas presents, surrounded by family under your Christmas Tree?

My friend showed me some nails with textured little trees, and I knew I could replicate the nails so here they are!

These nails are pretty bloody camp and tacky, but it's Christmas! Christmas IS tacky! 

I used my Ciate Emerald Collection Kit for the textured tree. This kit has been one of the best things I have ever bought for nail art. It is so versatile and creates so many different looks. I then stuck on rhinestones and used my Alexa Chung stars polish for the stars at the top.

So there you have it! I hope you have a safe, fun, restful and exciting Christmas, and I will be back in a few days with my latest nail art prompt.

Merry Christmas

Steph xxx

Day 22: Match Socks

Sorry I'm late posting again! This prompt is the 'Match Your Socks' prompt, and as this is a December challenge, I found the most Christmas-iest pair I own which are these Christmas Pudding socks my sister got me last year.

I used 'Espresso' by Mavala as my base, and then nail art pens for the white icing and holly leaves. I used dotting tools for the berries on top and the little textured bits in the pudding! 

I love these little festive puddings!

Day 20: Holly

I did actually publish this yesterday but forgot to add the pictures which was very clever of me, but now you can see the main event now. We are so close to Christmas now, and I am really enjoying this nail art challenge as it has pushed me to embrace christmas nail art which I never usually find very inspiring!

Today's prompt is Holly, so I went for a plain background and some mini holly leaves. I used Barry M 'Lychee' for my base colour, and then nail art pens for the Holly. It's a very simple design but I think it looks quite sweet!

I only have a few prompts left for Christmas now, but keep your eyes peeled because I have some good ones coming up!

Day 17: Decorations

So sorry I'm a few days late again! 

I have seen loads of cute bauble nails this year, whether they're glittery, cartoony or quite simple. I wanted to give some a try, and I gave it two goes but they just looked so rubbish everytime! Instead of wasting my time perfecting a decorated ball, I decided to go with a whole new idea. The word 'decoration' automatically reminds me of a Christmas tree, so I thought, lets by pass the baubles and head straight to the main event at the top of the tree. Our household alternates between a star and angel on top of our tree (usually it is whatever my little sister makes in school that year), but I thought I would try a little angelic design, with a handful of stars thrown in for the hell of it (pardon the hell pun) 

This have me the perfect excuse to use the star polish from the Alexa Chung nails inc set I bought myself for Christmas. 

My gold Barry M foil paint is getting a lot of usage at this festive time!

Keep your eyes peeled for more designs on the run up to Christmas!

Christmas Wish List 2014

It is that time of year again where I share with you my Christmas list for 2015! My '12 Days Of Christmas Beauty Wish List' post I did last year turned out to be really popular so I thought I would do another one. I am also posting it early so I have a chance of getting them before they sell out as I tend to buy it all myself because I'm too impatient to wait!

Advent Calenders

So first on the list, you have to have a great advent calender on the countdown to Christmas. Last year I desperately hoped someone would feel generous enough to buy me the Ciate advent calender, but alas, no one got the hint haha. This year, beauty advent calenders have absolutely gone wild. You can now buy beauty advent calenders by the likes of Jo Malone and Selfridges that cost up to a whopping £300. My unlikely choice, is actually the Tesco beauty advent calender, which is a slightly more realistic £50. Now Tesco isn't the usual go to beauty brand, but this contains products from Korres (my fave!), blogger Tanya Burr's makeup range, perfume samples and many more highstreet brands.

This is a much more highstreet friendly beauty advent calender, and I like the fact that there is something different everyday rather than just one brand. Since I found this, I now can't find it ANYWHERE online, so think it now be out of stock ;(

In that case, if anyone would like to buy me this years Ciate one, I would certainly not say no :)

Wah Nails

On the theme of nails, I can hardly contain my excitement as my favourite brand in nails and nail art, have brought out their own range of polishes! Wah Nails have now launched a selection of polishes, exclusively to Boots. They also have nail art pens, press on nails, manicure tools and little kits.

Obviously I would absolutely love to own all of these glorious products, but one thing that really pops out to me is the Dreamy Days Nail art Kit. This cute kit has two gorgeous colours, adorable little palm tree and peace sign decalls, and a nail art pen. It also contains 3 sponges so you can perfectly ombre the two colours for a cool sunset look.

To peruse the whole Wah Nails range, take a look here

Origins

Next I move onto skincare, and this Origins moisturiser has quietly popped up on a lot of blogs I've read, and its one I'd like to try. The GinZing range is designed to wake up the skin and add radiance. Perfect for our dryer dull skin in these winter months. This moisturiser contains Coffee Beans, GinZing, lemon, spearmint, and grapefruit. How awakening and zesty does that sound?!

£23.00

The whole range  is designed to be a skin care hangover cure, and whilst having a look on their website, I found this limited edition kit which contains the moisturiser, a lip balm, mascara and de-puffing eye cream, all squeezed into this cute bag!

This is something I may have to rush down and get before they sell out!!

MAC

This is a bit of a cheat wish product, as the Miley Cyrus Viva Glam Lip products don't actually launch till early 2015, but as my birthday is in January I can always plant the seed! No matter if you love her or hate her (I personally love her), Miley Cyrus has stepped up and joined a lot of other split opinion personalities such as Rihanna, Nicki Minaj and Lady GaGa, to be the face of Viva Glam next year.

Although the lipstick looks red, my research leads me to believe it will actually be hot pink, and there will also be a matching lip gloss in their ultra shiny lipglass formula. Both will hopefully be lick proof as she is renowned for that famous tongue wag. The proceeds from both products will go towards the Viva Glam charity which supports people who are suffering with HIV/Aids.

Living Proof

I have recently been enlightened to the hair care range Jennifer Aniston co founds, Living Proof. Made infamous on Friends by her ever changing hairstyles, and even having people heading to hair dressers asking for 'the Rachael', Jen certainly hasn't missed a trick here creating her own hair care brand, as everyone wants her perfect hair.

The brand consists of 4 ranges. Styling, Full, Restore and No Frizz, the latter being the range my hair desperately needs. The range contains a shampoo and conditioner, an alternative leave in conditioner and then two styling products specifically for de-frizzing.

Frizzing is due to moisture getting into the cuticles in your hair, allowing it to puff up and become unmanageable. This range smooths down the hair so there are no gaps for moisture to get in. I can't leave the house after I've straightened or blow dried my hair. CERTAINLY not if its just been washed, so my hair often looks like a giant frizz ball. I'd love to test this range out, especially in the wetter seasons we are coming into.

Nails Inc

Onto another celebrity inspired product (jesus we really do buy into these people don't we!) and that is fashionista Alexa Chung. Alexa has been the face of Eyeko for her famous cat eye flicks, and now the effortlessy cool 'it girl' is the face of a cool nail brand. Nails Inc have been ahead of their game in the nail world, creating leather textures, and lots of fun top coat ideas. They have also had a brand makeover which looks SO much better and sleeker. Step in Alexa Chung, to finish of the brands cool revamp.

This latest set contains a cute little bag and a nail file with three really wintery colours. A pale pink and pale blue, and a stunning deep navy colour. The real excitment is with the other three polishes though. An uber shiny holographic glitter coat, a gold and silver star infused clear coat, and then a heart embellished clear coat which I have tried on and is so unbelievably cute.

This retails at £45.00 but is worth about £95!!

Sleek Eye and Cheek Palette

Sleek is a brand that I first discovered in a Glossy Box, and recently my wonderful friend Sophie has been telling me that it is a really affordable brand that has some good bits! I went to have a look at the isle in Boots and this eye shadow palette caught my eye. I think because it has that pomegranate colour I'm obsessing over at the moment, but it also has some really pretty colours like, the gold shade, and the deep purple. It can also be used as a cheek palette but I think at a push I would only want to use the dusty pink colour on my face! The best thing about this palette? it is £10.00. TEN POUNDS. This will make a perfect secret Santa present that someone will actually like, or a great stocking filler for someone AKA me.

Frank Body Scrub

This is one of the products I have discovered over Instagram. As I follow a few beauty trends and bloggers, this kept popping up on my news feed so I want to see what all the hype is about! Frank Body Scrub is basically coffee, and exfoliates the whole body and face as well as adding radiance and energy to the skin much like the Origins Ginzing range I was taking about. What a winning combination present that would make!

They have three scrubs mixed with different ingredients to do different things. They have one for moisture, one for skin pigmentation and cellulite, and one for clarifying cleansing, all priced around £12.00. I'd probably go for the original scrub, although it will do all of the above just less intensified as it doesn't have the certain specialised ingredients.

For more information, visit their site here

Zoella Beauty Line

Zoella is one of the most subscribed to Youtubers, and has a massive following on her beauty blog. She's having a book brought out, she (weirdly) featured in the new BandAid30 song, and has appeared on adverts. It would seem odd if she didn't have her own range of products, and recently she did just this! Her predominantly bath and body range is only small, but I will imagine it will grow. It consists of a choice of two cosmetic bags, a candle, fragranced body mist, shower gel and body lotion and finally a fizz bar for the bath. Most reviews I have read have said younger girls have loved it, which I guess is the market it is aimed at, but no one can say no to a pamper night so it's something I'd like to try. It's reasonably priced as well as the whole range is £10 and under! Again, another good secret Santa present.

Revitalash

The next product on my wishlist is this miracle growth eyelash conditioner by Revitalash, that helps your eyelashes grow and become stronger. I'm a really bad eyelash puller, and find myself pulling out quite a few at a time! I don't know why I do it, I just like the feeling of pulling mascara off my lashes but obviously my eye lashes come out with it sometimes. This product was recommend to me by my friend Jade who swears by it. I will let you read her instagram post for yourself to see her experience. (she is also a very talented make up artist so like her Facebook page here)

This product doesn't come cheap, at minimum for a 3 month supply, your looking at $98.00, but to have fantastic long natural lashes, really would be a Christmas miracle.

L'Occitane Almond Range

French brand L'Oocitane specialise in Skincare and Bath and body products. As a huge lover of marzipan, I am a sucker for the smell of Almond, and this range smells so so tasty. I didn't actually know, but Almond is a very toning ingrediant for the skin, so not only does this stuff smell delicious, it also helps firm and tighten skin which is is always a good thing. I am especially drawn to the shower and body oils, just because I love how well oils hydrate my skin. The range also does scrubs, soaps and hand creams.

Bondi Sands Tan

This may seem like an odd item on my wishlist, as in a post only this week I said I'm not a great lover of fake tan, but if you red my post, you will know that if its good enough, then I will cave in and use it! 

Bondi Sands Tan is another Instagram hyped product that I've seen posted everywhere. As I like a mousse, I would opt for the light/medium tanning foam, which costs £14.99. Compared to the other fake tans I've been using, that is actually really cheap, and from what I've read online, it has the same flalwess results without the fake tan smell. An Australian looking tan and coconut scent sounds like something I want to try!

Are there any products on here you'd want to try? 

What is on your Christmas list this year? let me know!

Day 14: Sweets

Only a day late for these! For the 'sweets' prompt this year I decided to do some Gingerbread as I've done candy canes before. 

For these sweet treats, I used Barry M 'Mushroom' as a base, and then used the Barry M nail art pen in white for the gingerbread. I'm having problems with this pen in the white too, as the colour isn't very vivid, and I have to keep going over it to get a true white colour. Again, it goes a bit dry and cracked too so think I won't buy these pens again, which is a shame as I am a big Barry M fan!

Stay tuned for the rest of my nail art challenges!

Day 11: Lights

If you follow my instagram account, (which you toooootally should) then you will have seen that on the 11th I was a little busy and couldn't get round to doing any 'Lights' nails. Instead I posted a throwback of some I did a while ago.

While I could have just got away with these, I really like to redo designs I've done before as I know I can do them much better now. So today I got down to it and did some new and improved Christmas lights, and here is the result:

For these I used the gold foil polish from Barry M, and then used the Barry M nail art pen in black to outline the individual colours I blobbed on.

I'm new to these nail pens as nowhere in my local town stock models own anymore (:( ), so I've been trying these. They are easier to use, but I don't think I like the finish they give. It gives a dry cracked appearance once dry, and isn't as fluid as the actual paint that comes out of the Model's Own pens. I will keep practicing and let you know if they improve!