NOTD: The Festive Mani

The Cool Toned Mani

Barry M Aquarium Collection

It felt like in every November favourites video I watched this year duo-chrome nail polish was mentioned, so it was only a matter of time before I tried one out.

Barry M is always the place to look if you want to try out a new nail trend- they've probably got it covered for a price tag of £3.99! I picked up the shade Persian from their Aquarium collection, but it didn't quite live up to all my hopes. In the bottle it comes across as a purple / gold / green colour but after painting on two coats, it was a bright purple / brown colour. In hindsight I probably didn't pick the right shade for me - I consistently go for the more muted or dark shades, so many the navy option would have been a wiser choice. 

As with all Barry M polishes, the formula is great for the price you pay. Sans top coat it will definitely last a good 3-4 days before it needs some attention! I'm definitely going to revisit the collection next time I go to Boots. Are there any other duo-chrome polishes I should look at? 

Before I go- can I give a little shout-out to blogger and friend Katy? She braved the cold walk to the park to take these photos for me. Go and say hi on her blog for me? 

NOTD: Beyond Cozy by Essie

Queue the festive nails. I spent the grand sum of £1.01 on Amazon a few weeks ago, which got me 5 different tools. I feel like it's still slightly early for the full on, bright red, christmassy glitter nails, so I went a tad subtle with lilac and silver. 

It took me a few attempts to get it right, but I'm pretty happy with me attempt at nail art. Essie's Beyond Cozy was used to create little blobs of silver, over two layers of Berry Ice Cream from Barry M. 

Stick around- the nails are set to get more and more festive in the run up to Christmas! 

NOTD: Lychee and Sour Apple

If you read my last post, you'll know that I love a textured nail polish every now and again, even if my nails don't. You'll also know that I got this new beauty to for my birthday, and it was only a matter of time until I tried it out! 

It's Sour Apple by Barry M, and is described as a confetti effect polish. The polish is clear, but there are tiny flecks of turquoise and neon yellow in there, which I think have a really striking effect. I toned it down a little with my favourite nude, Lychee. I've waxed lyrical about this polish and my seemingly undying love for it, all of which you can read about here. 

I'm all ready for Autumn and to me, this looks more like a spring/ summer colour, but who cares, it's so darn pretty. I have yet to try and remove the stuff though- and something's telling me that it ain't gonna be easy. 

Birthday Haul

Here are a few snaps of gorgeous birthday presents I had from friends and family. Keep a look out for some of these things on my blog! I can't wait to use the Soap and Glory Body Buff- it smells amazing. So do the goodies from Lush, (Dragon's Egg, Think Pink and Creamy Candy). Despite the fact that they don't budge off your nails, I love textured polishes, so I can't wait to try out this confetti nail polish from Barry M. The baby pink nail polish reminds me of Pink Diamond by Essie. 

The Queries and Reminders Notebook is from Emma Bridgewater, and the Organiser with a cute bicycle print is from Paperchase. 

The bracelet was a gift from my parents, and the gorgeous collar necklace has come all the way from Croatia, where a friend spent her summer holiday! Thank you again to all you lovely people that wished me a happy birthday, here's an slice of internet cake from me! I went back to school yesterday, (the 6am alarm was a shock to the system) but thankfully, I get a few free periods on a Monday morning. *Sighs*

Good luck to everyone going back to school this week!

Wearing: Districtly Come Dancing

I've been trying to push the boat out with my nail polishes recently. I would usually stick to pale colours, like lilacs, nudes, peaches- you get the idea. But I fancied a change and thought I would try out some new colours, and this one really caught my eye. This picture is a little deceiving because I think that, in real life, it's a bit greener than it looks here. 

On the first coat it was so streaky and patchy, but actually, with one more it looked pretty good. I'm not overly mad about the formula because I prefer a thicker polish (think Barry M Gelly Nails) but the brush is nice and big, which makes painting my nails super quick. I've just been eyeing up the collection on Boots and it looks like they have loads of nice colours. For just over £2, I'm not complaining.   

Have you tried this collection? What's your favourite polish at the minute? 

RNIL: Lychee & Greenberry

I've heard numerous bloggers talk about how fab they think the Gelly Hi-Shine range from Barry M is, so on my last trip to Boots I had to pick a few up. First of all, I can't get over how amazingly priced they are! At only £3.99 each they are a bargain if I ever saw one. Keep an eye on the offers too, when I bought these they were two for £5.99

Anyway, back to the nail polish. I love them. Personally, I don't think one coat is enough but with two you get a nice opaque finish. Just a few things to mention- definitely use a base coat, although I think they last fine without a top coat, and they're already pretty shiny. Barry M usually have a great colour selection, so I was kind of disappointed when I saw how few there were in Boots. The colours they did have were nice, but there weren't many. Maybe it's because it's quite a new range, so finger's crossed they bring out more! 

The Liebster Awards

So, yesterday Mitzee from Facts of Fashion nominated me for a Liebster Award! This seems so unreal and I'm so flattered. If you're not familiar with it, it's an award to help bloggers get discovered. Mitzee was nominated and then had to nominate 10 other bloggers and she kindly chose me. I always love reading her blog and you should definitely all go and have a read. 

http://factshionista.blogspot.co.uk/ 

The rules are that...

1) Each blogger should answer the questions the tagger has sent for you.

2) 10 bloggers must be chosen to pass the award onto and must be linked in your post.

3) 10 new questions must be created for these bloggers.

4) Go to their blog to tell them about the award.

5) You can't tag back!

1. How do you feel about being nominated?

I'm so flattered! I love writing my blog and it's amazing to get feedback and comments from readers. This was unexpected but amazing. 

2. What made you start your blog?

I'd been reading blogs for a few months and I've always loved reading magazines like Vogue and Harper's Bazaar. I got to the point where just reading blogs wasn't enough- I wanted to write too. 

3. What do you consider your blog's greatest achievement so far?

This, probably! Although, a few of my favourite bloggers have commented on my blog before, which I'm quite proud of.

4. Who is your fashion icon.

This is difficult because it changes! There are people I will always admire though, like Audrey Hepburn. 

5. Who introduced you to fashion.

I honestly don't know, I guess I loved going on shopping trips with my mum and watching makeover programs on TV. I watched shows like America's Next Top Model for a while and I think that's when I became fascinated by the industry, because I used to love watching all the photo shoots. 

6. Whose wardrobe would you like to have?

It would have to be Alexa Chung and Cara Delevingne, they always look great!

7. Top 5 Men Celebrity Fashion.

Definitely the blogger I AM GALLA- he's my favourite menswear blogger. Ryan Gosling and Eddie Redmayne always wear a great suit, and I couldn't miss out Logan Lerman. 

8. Favorite make-up product?

I thought about this one lots, but I think it would have to be the Rimmel Match Perfection Foundation- one of the best drugstore foundations in my opinion. If nail polish counts, then anything from the Topshop or Barry M range.

9. Must have staple piece in your outfit.

Good accessories that tie the look together, whether its the bag, necklace or a pair of shades. At the moment I love big statement necklaces with a simple t shirt.

10. Describe your blog.

I think it's hard to describe because I cover so many things- from what I've purchased recently to the music I love, to what I wear. So I guess it's a fashion and lifestyle blog, but I find it hard to pigeon-hole it into a specific genre. 

My ten questions...

1) One place you would recommend a tourist to visit in your city?
2) A beauty product you can't live without?
3) Which designer brand you would shop at if money were no problem?
4) Who was the last blog that you followed?
5) If you were going to a gig tonight, who would you want to go and see?
6) Where do you shop at most?
7) Where did your blogs name come from?
8) What's your favourite time of year?
9) What is your go-to outfit?
10) Why did you create your blog?

My ten bloggers...
1) http://frockled.blogspot.co.uk/
2) http://nanawintour.blogspot.co.uk/
3) http://thewearist.blogspot.co.uk/
4) http://tiny-adventure.blogspot.co.uk/
5) http://theeoptimist.blogspot.co.uk/
6) http://guesswhatfashion.blogspot.co.uk/
7) http://mesmemosphotoblog.blogspot.co.uk/
8) http://goingteen.blogspot.co.uk/
9) http://insomeoneseyes.blogspot.co.uk/
10) http://callmemaeby.blogspot.co.uk/