Christmas Nail Art Challenge - 12 Days of Christmas

I've wanted to do a nail challenge for a while, so I love the prospect of doing a Christmas nail challenge! I have decided to stick to just 12 days of Christmas rather than 25 so that it gives me a little more freedom, every other day should be easier than everyday! I have chosen to base my 'themes' around Christmas songs (with the exception of the 'favourite' days). I have also specified the dates in which I plan to do each design, and I will try to upload a photograph on that day or the day after.

Here is the list...

I'm hoping this will first and foremost get me into the Christmas spirit, but also help improve my skills! 

If you are thinking of doing a Christmas nail challenge (or want to join me with mine) please let me know in the comments section below :)

Funky Leopard Print Nails

I have recently discovered TKMAXX sells Models Own nail polish (as well as Essie) in packs of 3 for around £8, which is a lot cheaper than Boots (£5 each), but you can't choose the colours so you 'get what you are given', so to speak. However, I went to my local TKMAXX a few days ago and whilst browsing the nail section I saw Models Own packs had been reduced further to £6 - bargain! I must have picked up every pack several times, but I finally found one where I liked all of the colours. 

I used (from the pack) the Top Turquoise (base) and the Purple Grey (leopard spots) to create a bright leopard print nail design (I took inspiration from a pin on Pinterest). 

                              Top Turquoise                                 Purple Grey 

Winter Sparkle Nails

Quick and simple nails with a touch of winter sparkle...

The products I used were Essie's Ridge Filling Base Coat, Lady Like, Model's Own Snowflake and Seche Vite Fast Drying Top Coat. 

I recently brought a selection of Essie nail polishes from Fragrance Direct for £1.99 each (RRP £7.99 in Boots & Superdrug). One of my favourites is Lady Like, a mauve pink colour. It worked as a nice base for Model's Own's Snowflake iridescent glitter polish. 

Taylor Swift Inspired Outfit

I love Taylor Swift's classic 1950s/60s sense of style. I few months ago I saw a picture of her in London wearing polka dot jeans and Charlotte Olympia cat shoes, and I instantly fell in love. I brought a cheaper alternative of the cat shoes just after from Ebay for around £10, and I've been looking for a pair of polka dot jeans ever since. 

Taylor Swift, London 

Cat Shoes from Ebay

I finally found a pair of black polka dot jeans in Primark for £12 a few weeks ago but I really wanted navy, so I didn't buy them. However, whilst I was in Sheffield yesterday I had a quick look in Primark and I found they had been reduced to £5! Bargain! So I had to buy them. 

I wore them today for a quick trip out to town to run a few errands. I teamed them with my Republic faux leather jacket, black H&M cardigan and Primark boots. Oh and not forgetting my gorgeous doctors style bag - an early Christmas present!

I'm hoping in spring, when it's a little warmer, I can recreate Taylor's outfit (on a budget) by wearing my cat shoes and the polka dot jeans. 

 

Company Magazine UK - Free Jessica Nail Polish

Visiting my friend in Sheffield yesterday, via the train, meant I had an excuse to buy a magazine for the journey! Last week I wrote a blog post about how Glamour magazine is giving away a Nails Inc polish with every November edition, well it would seem Company magazine (£2) are following suit by giving away a Jessica nail polish worth around £5 in their November edition too. There are a choice two colours - Company Vampy Red and Company Crimson, but they only had the latter in the WHSmith's I brought it from so I got that one. I think this offer is limited to WHSmith stores, I saw this edition in a few other shops at a cheaper price (£1.25) but without the nail varnish. 

I know Jessica polishes are a salon favourite but that's all I've heard about them. To be honest I was a little disappointed with the consistency of the polish, it is very thin and requires at least 2 coats to see the colour. I'm not sure I will be purchasing any more Jessica nail polishes in the future but it is great for a freebie! 

I was very impressed with the magazine content, I don't usually buy Company magazine but I loved some of the features, particularly the Christmas themed ones, inside. 

Japanese Geisha Nails

I went on holiday a few years ago to Japan to visit my friend who teaches English out there. We visited Kyoto, which is one of the only places left to see real geisha, and I managed to take a few photos but they were speedy (plus I felt more than a little rude shoving a camera in their face to take my 'cultural' shot!) ! My friend is currently back from Japan so I felt inspired to try out some Japanese geisha nails, also it's nice to reminisce about past travel adventures.

I was in Japan around March time, when the iconic sakura (cherry blossoms) start to bloom (they only bloom once a year), so I thought they would compliment the geisha nails. I used Barry M's Foil Effects nail polish in Gold for the flowers and as the base for my index and ring finger. Rimmel's Fierce Cherry was the perfect geisha lip red, so I decided to use it as the base of the cherry blossoms too. 

A geisha from my trip to Kyoto, Japan - March 2010

I Heart Urban Outfitters Sale

I am addicted to Urban Outfitters, although we don't have one in the town where I live, I regularly check their website for offers. Their stuff is pretty pricey, but you can usually find a bargain or two in the sale. It is even better when they have free delivery because usually it is £3.99, and since I can't take any items back to store it is a pain if something doesn't fit because then you have to pay to send it back. 

Yesterday I got an email to say they had 20% off everything and free delivery! It was also payday, so it would have been rude not to have a sneaky peek. 

Push Lock Doctors Bag - £22

I saw this doctors style bag on the UO website a few months ago, but I thought £48 was a little over my 'bag budget', so I found a cheap alternative on Ebay and asked my boyfriend to buy it me for Christmas. Although I wish I hadn't now as it has gone down to £22 in sale (£18 with discount). I debated whether to buy it or not, knowing one very similar may be sitting under my Christmas tree in a few weeks time, but I love the cream detailing on the handle and clasp, which the other doesn't have so I treated myself.

Staying with the monochrome theme I saw a blouse, that I thought would be nice for work, at a bargain price of £5 (£4 incl discount) reduced from £45! I am a real sucker for price reductions and this one was right up my street. I actually had a package on the doormat from UO when I got in earlier today and it was blouse. It is a lovely material (very good quality) and nicely structured, I haven't tried it on yet so I'm hoping it fits.

 Cooperative Bow Neck Blouse - £5

Oh I also forgot to mention that Quidco give you 4% cashback at the moment too, so it makes things even cheaper!

Until next time...

Black Cat Nails

I really wanted to try out one of my new Sally Hansen nail polishes, which I reviewed in my previous post. I chose to use Oxide, a black silver shimmer polish, as a base for some super cute cat nails. 

The design was very simple and easy to achieve. I used nail dotting tools to create the paw-prints, eyes and nose, and a small brush to do the ears and whiskers. 

I'm very pleased with the results and think this would be perfect for Halloween.

Sally Hansen - Complete Salon Manicure Nail Polishes

Sally Hansen seems to dominate many aspects of the 'nail market' from her nail varnish remover to her cuticle cream and nail shields. I have tried most of her products, apart from the actual nail varnishes. I spotted her Complete Salon Manicure nail varnishes on offer on Fragrance Direct a few weeks ago for £1.50 each but then I found they were also being sold in Poundland for a £1 - a bargain too good to miss (RRP £5.99)! So I picked up a couple...

L-R: Oxide and Anenome of Mine

Both colours are stunning, great for Autumn/Winter. Oxide is a black with silver glitter undertones and Anenome of Mine (I love quirky nail polish nails - sometimes it is what encourages me to buy them, opps!) is a vibrant glossy purple. I particularly like the lid on these polishes as it has a rubber grip around the base of the lid, which helps steady your hand. The actual brush is also quite thick so on some of my nails I was able to coat them in one clean sweep!

I will definitely be popping to £land again this weekend to stock up on some more colours!

Models Own - Snowflakes

I've wanted to try a Models Own nail polish for a while now, so after reading a blogpost about their new 'Wonderland Collection' I knew I had to buy one. I opted for 'Snowflakes', a clear-ish glitter polish with iridescent foil flakes, which immediately caught my eye.

 It really does look like Christmas in a bottle! I love it. 

This is only one coat, which I found gave a good overall coverage but I think it might be nice to build it up with a few more coats. Or use it as a topcoat to compliment your favourite Autumn/Winter nail polish. 

I found the flakes quite big so it was difficult to position them on the nail without any overlap. They also dry with a flaky 3D texture (no one likes the feeling of flaky nails), so I used a clear topcoat to give a smoother more polished finish.

I cannot wait to do a snowman/snowflake nail art design with this beautiful polish! 

UK Glamour Magazine November 2012 - Freebies!

Everyone loves a freebie right? Well this month's Glamour magazine has excelled itself as you get a free bottle of Nails Inc nail polish (RRP £11). You also get a free sample of Nivea's Daily Essentials Hydration Primer and L'oreal's BB Cream in Light. 

There are 4 different shades of nail polish (a dark blue, red, pink and gold glitter) to choose from but I opted for the gold glitter one as the festive season is nearly upon us. The effect on the nail is quite understated thus I feel a couple of coats would be needed to achieve a more glittery look.

Pretty in...Purple?

My Autumn/Winter wardrobe consists mainly of blacks and greys so I've been on a mission recently to add a burst of colour into the mix. I am quite obsessive when it comes to colours and matching, so when I brought a mixed berry blouse a few weeks ago in the George sale I knew I needed something to match. I had been eyeing up a distinctive purple pair of jeans in New Look  for a while, but I found I had the same old problem...what will I wear them with? So hey presto! I had a match!

               

The shirt is a sheer chiffon material with faux leather cuffs and collar, which gives it an edgier look. The jeans are super soft (feel almost velvet) and fit really nicely, although they have a tendency to attract bits. 

I wore this outfit yesterday on a trip to Meadowhall in Sheffield. I teamed it with a faux leather jacket and my studded Primark boots that I got a few weeks ago. 

                                                           

Children in Need - Pudsey Bear Nails

As it is Children in Need tomorrow (UK) I decided to do Pudsey Bear nails to mark the occasion. Children and staff will be wearing their pajamas to help raise money so I thought these would be a nice touch to my 'outfit'.

The design was relatively simple to do, I used Lemon Soda by Collection 2000 for the base of  my thumb and ring finger and Blanc by Essie for the others. Then I used a dotting tool to make red, green, blue and yellow dots.

I will be styling my nails with my oh so attractive onesie tomorrow :)

Cute Penguin Nails

On an evening where I find I have very little time but I still want to do my nails I like to opt for simple but effective designs. So last night I chose to use my new Rimmel Pro nail varnish in Stormy Skies as by base to do cute little penguins on my pointy (that must be the scientific word for it) and index fingers. For the body I used Blanc by Essie and Sunset Orange by George for the feet and nose (and a black for the eyes).

I also used Twinkle Shine by Miss Sporty as a top coat to add a little winter sparkle :)

I got a few 'awes' at work today, which is always nice but I also got a few 'is that Pacman?'.