Purple Candyfloss Nails

 

Rimmel’s Sweetie Crush collection is adorable. Themed around retro sweets, the limited edition textured polishes come in five pretty pastel shades. I put two coats of Violet Swizzle on the tips of my nails over NYC’s Lincoln Square Lavender. The end result? Sugar sweet nails perfect for summer!

How To Create: Cuticle Tattoos With Eyeliner

                                  Left to right: Rad Nails Cuticle Tattoos, Ciaté Cuticle Tattoos

              The word on the street is that cuticle tattoos are going to be a big nail trend this spring/summer. However, they’re not a new trend by any means.  Last summer, American brand Rad Nails launched their cuticle tattoos to huge acclaim. Beauty blogs and websites went bananas for these quirky little transfers but for some reason they didn't really take off. Now the trend is catching on again with the launch of Ciaté’s cuticle tattoos. The British nail polish brand’s designs, diamonds, bows and stars, are much sweeter than Rad Nails’ and are exclusive to Asos. They’re currently sold out at the moment (trend alert, trend alert!) but I’ve heard they’ll be back in stock in March.

 

The cuticle tattoo trend is a bit like black pudding, you either love it or hate it. I love it; it reminds me of traditional henna tattoos but I just can’t justify the price of the transfers or the hassle of ordering online. Ciaté’s retail for €14.05 and Rad Nails’ are $6 apiece plus $5 for international shipping. You can save your money and recreate the same pretty designs (or come up with your own) with waterproof eyeliner pens and a steady hand. Let’s face it, the tattoos aren’t going to last very long unless you avoid hand washing (not recommended!) so you may as well use eyeliner for the few occasions you’ll be wearing them – nights out, festivals et cetera.

 

 

If you’re curious about my rather messy nail art, I was trying to emulate the 60s-esque nails created by Deborah Lippmann for Kate Spade’s gorgeous SS14 collection at New York Fashion Week. I adore these silver-tipped beauties!

 

 

 

 

 

 

My Brow Routine

When it comes to eyebrows, big is proving to be beautiful. The power brow trend is showing no signs of going anywhere, which is great news if you have, like me, naturally thick eyebrows. Brows are a touchy subject for many women. We've all been a bit too enthusiastic with the tweezers or heavy-handed with the eyebrow pencil. I aggressively tackled my bushy brows for the first time at the age of 16 and came away with sad stubby eyebrows. I literally tweezed half of them off and they still haven't grown back fully. 

Personally, I recommend threading over any other form of brow shaping. I've only had my eyebrows threaded once, in Threads Brow Bar in House of Fraser, but I've been able to maintain the shape and that was almost two years ago! Below is my current brow routine, it takes about 3 minutes.

 

1. After applying foundation, I brush through my eyebrows using a brow brush.

2. Next I brush a light sweeping of pressed powder over my brows to absorb any excess oil from my moisturiser/foundation. I find this increases the longevity of the eyebrow pencil.

3. Using an eyebrow pencil, my favourite is Rimmel Professional Eyebrow Pencil in 004 Black/Brown, I begin to define the highest point of my brow using light strokes. Starting at the highest point helps to determine the shape of the rest of the brow. It also makes the brow appear bolder. I prefer using pencil over powder as it’s quicker to apply and creates a more intense look.

4. When my brows are fully filled in, I use a cotton bud to gently soften any lines. I then brush through them using brow gel. My current favourite is by Essence.

Don’t worry if your brows aren't totally symmetrical. Remember eyebrows are sisters, not twins!

Festive Beauty Tutorial: Santa Hat Nails

 

Santa baby, slip a sable under the tree, for me

I've been an awful good girl

Santa baby, and hurry down the chimney tonight

Show Santa you’ve been on your best behaviour this year by painting the man’s trademark hat on your nails. Once he’s catches a glimpse of your red and white beauties, he’ll be so honoured you’re bound to get that 54 convertible (in light blue)!

 

You will need a base coat, red nail polish, white nail polish (this can be difficult to get your hands on, the most affordable one I could find is by Natural Collection), nail polish remover, a cotton bud and a top coat.

Left to right: Sally Hansen Complete Care 4-in-1 Treatment, 17 Fast Finish in Knockout Red, Natural Collection in Nail Tip Whitener

 

After your base coat has dried, take your red polish and paint a triangle shape on your nails. The top of the triangle should be pointing to your cuticles. Don’t worry if it’s looking a bit rough, you can tidy it up with a cotton bud soaked in nail polish remover.

 

Once this has dried, take your white polish and create the trim of Santa’s hat. Do this by painting the tips of your nails but bend the brush slightly, you want a curved trim. To create the bobble of Santa’s hat, paint a rough circle on the top of the triangle. Finish with a top coat and a glass of mulled wine…or two. Merry Christmas!

 

 

 

Beauty Tutorial: Effortless Autumn Nails

My Sorrow, when she's here with me,

Thinks these dark days of autumn rain

Are beautiful as days can be;

 She loves the bare, the withered tree;

 She walks the sodden pasture lane.

                                                             - From My November Guest by Robert Frost

  

Left to right: Avon Color Trend Color Me Pretty in Vixen, 17 Fast Finish in Fury

 

Burgundy, plum, wine, oxblood: sumptuous berry shades are everywhere this season. If you’re on a tight budget and can’t afford to update your wardrobe with these colours, paint your nails! For a really opulent look add gold – be it a glitter top coat or gems. I painted the tips of my nails with a rich bronze gold, a perfect autumn hue.

                              

 

Beauty Tutorial: Futuristic Nails

                                          Girl from Mars: Jil Sander Autumn/Winter 2012

Have a look at the cinema listings, in your local bookshop or turn on a television - the fantasy genre is in full swing. Two of the most highly anticipated films this year were Prometheus and The Hunger Games. The Hunger Games books remain firmly on the bestseller lists and Game of Thrones is ensuring the majority of the population is glued to television sets every Monday night. Whether it’s dystopian tough girls you’re into or otherworldly sprites, the sudden popularity of this genre was reflected on the Autumn/Winter catwalks. Jil Sander showcased sci-fi silver with shocking white while Balenciaga‘s heroines wore electric blue teamed with solid metallic accessories.  The futuristic trend appeared on nails too; featuring in the shows of Chanel, Alice + Olivia and Behnaz Sarafpour.

Behnaz Sarafpour Autumn/Winter 2012

Behnaz Sarafpour’s gorgeous reflective silver tips are what I tried to emulate. After using a base coat I took the most intense silver from my collection, Rimmel Lasting Finish in 239 Your Majesty, and painted the tip of each nail. This did take a bit of patience; it might be easier if you used those crescent shaped guides available in French manicure kits. When the tips had dried I painted my nails with a clear glittery polish, Essence Colour & Go 04 Space Queen, how apt! A top coat went over this and I was ready to kick some alien ass! Researching for this post I discovered that Behnaz Sarafpour’s tips are most likely foils. I think you can easily recreate this look without the expense of foils. I got three days wear without a chip and that’s not too bad considering I used budget nail polish.

Left to right: Rimmel Lasting Finish in 239 Your Majesty, Essence Colour & Go in 04 Space Queen

This photo does not do my shimmering beauties justice

Beauty Tutorial: Pink And Gold Nails Perfect For Spring/Summer

Pastel coloured nails dominated the spring 2012 runways. Armani, Marc Jacobs and Chanel sent their models out sporting nails dipped in creamy beiges, soft lemons and rose pinks. I've recreated this feminine look but by putting my own spin on it - adding a sparkly gold making it a little less demure. I've used Essence nail polishes which I love. Their wearability is just as good as other budget brands such as 17 and Rimmel  and at just €1.29 a pop you can throw two or three into your shopping basket without feeling too guilty.

Left to right: Essence Nude Glam in 04 Iced Latte, Essence Colour & Go in 50 Irreplaceable, Essence Gel-Look Topcoat

I started by putting on a base coat, currently I'm using Sally Hansen Diamond Shine Base & Top Coat. Then I applied two thin coats of the nude polish letting it dry completely between coats. This helps prevent chipping. Next I applied the gold polish; using small vertical strokes I covered just the tips of the nails. After this dried I applied the gel-look topcoat. This gives a really glossy shine, much better than the Sally Hansen.