Multi-coloured Mani

Some of you eagle-eyed readers may have already spotted my bright nails in my last post, so here’s a close-up.

L-R: Bourjois Bleu model 44, Revlon Pretty in Papaya 315, Nails Inc Candy Orange 121, Bourjois Lime catwalk 38, Revlon Passion Fruit 375.

After i saw Fee from MakeupSavvy post on the new Bourjois nail colours, i couldn’t wait to pick up some the neon shades. Currently on 3 for 2 in Superdrug (remember to use your Beautycard) i selected Lime Catwalk 38, Bleu model 44 and Jaune trendy 39 (not shown).

These are my first Bourjois polishes and i am impressed, all you need is two coats for full even coverage. They boast an ultra shine and hold finish which lasts for 7 days. I’m currently on day 4 and there are no signs of chipping or wear, unlike the Nails Inc and Revlon colours. So a big thumbs up from me!

In the Pink

I've been experimenting with my manicure recently and trying different colour combos. For the first time I tried a graduation colour manicure where you paint your nails using one shade from light to dark. What do you reckon?

The colours used from thumb to pinky are: Revlon Passion Fruit, Nails Inc Strawberry Hill, Nails Inc Brompton Place, Nails Inc InStyle Candy and Barry M Berry Ice Cream.

I did get a lot of admiring glances and comments so will be doing this again soon, but which colour palette should i choose next?

Smartie nails

I've been meaning to try this trend for different colour nails for a while now after spying twitpics from Fearne Cotton and Rochelle Wiseman (below).

I wish i could accessorise with that YSL ring - jealous!

With such a huge collection of polishes I'm so indecisive on which colour to paint my nails next, so choosing five solves that and it's also a great way to use up my old polishes. Before anyone complains of plagiarism i want to say credit does go to Make Up Savvy and 25Flondon who blogged about it first.

Seriously you don't know how many attempts it took to try and hold five polishes in one hand and get an alright picture!

Trying to get a bit artistic!

And the polishes in question i used are:
- Barry M Berry Ice Cream (lilac)
- Revlon Blue Lagoon (pale blue)
- Rimmel Apricot Punch (coral)
- Revlon Minted (mint green)
- Nails Inc Spitalfields (yellow)

I really liked the effect and it definitely stops me from getting bored too quickly i can't wait to try it on my toes for summer. Next up i think I'll do graduation nail colours if i can round up enough of the same shade.

A week of nails

Colour blocking is one of my favourite trends for S/S 11 but it's not always a look that can transcend to the office.

Camilla Belle works the look perfectly in head-to-toe Gucci.

My take is to add a bright nail polish that clashes with your top and job done!

Monday - Nails Inc Brompton Place

Tuesday - Nails Inc Spitalfields

Wednesday - Revlon Pretty In Papaya

Thursday - Barry M Berry Ice Cream

Friday - Nails Inc Hanover Street

Hope you love the colours as much as i do!

Nails Inc Lucky Dip

A few Friday's ago Nails Inc had their Lucky Dip offer on again and knowing how popular they are i placed my order before work. Included are 5 full size nail polishes for £10! What a bargain, as they usually retail for £10 each. The only catch is that at least one of the polishes is a topcoat and the other 4 are random colours - hence lucky dip!

I thought i actually did pretty well with my colours - what do you think?

Augustus Street - shimmery silver

Victoria - deep cherry red

Chelsea Bridge UV Topcoat - need i say?

Elizabeth Street - pale cream nude

Brompton Place - barbie pink



I'm chuffed they've included Augustus Street as i want to try it with my Barry M Instant Nail Effects crackle polish to achieve this look from Nails Inc promotional shots.

I think that makes 9 new nail polishes in the space of a few weeks - oops!

What polishes did everyone else get?

Pastel shades meets OOTD's

Inspired by the Parma Violet nails the other day I've decided to keep with the pastel theme and show some love to my favourite polishes for spring.



Revlon - Minted

I really want to love this shade as much as i do in the bottle, but the consistency is very watery so the application goes streaky and you need at least 3 coats to achieve opaque coverage and then you lose the paleness. I think next time i will paint one coat of white underneath first.

Nails Inc - In Style Candy

Now this is my Barbie polish, a true bright but baby pink that's opaque after just one coat - yes only one coat application so great for on-the-go, i might even have to do the toes as well just in case it gets warm enough to show them off.

I seem to be in love with shorts at the moment as they're so versatile, work or play, day or night, cold or warm, they do the job. I've been meaning to do an OOTD wearing the Topshop blush shorts but not had chance to wear them out anywhere yet so played a little dress-up for you guys yesterday!

Again apologies for the iphone pic's but i keep forgetting to charge the camera!

Jacket - Topshop (image 1)
Fur gilet - Dorothy Perkins (image 2)
Shirt - Asos
Shorts - Topshop
Leggings - Primark
Boots - Office
Clutch - Warehouse

I was undecided whether the outfit look best with the aviator or fur gilet, what do you think?

Nails Inc Royal Wedding polish

Now you all know I'm a huge fan of Nails Inc and to commemorate the Royal Wedding they have launched three exciting limited edition products.


'Will' Union Jack Crystal Nail Polish £15 - this looks a bit like their classic Victoria & Albert which I've already got so i don't think I'll be buying this one, but would make a good present for your glamorous grannies not to mention a souvenir that could net you £££'s in years to come (well maybe!).

'Kate' Sapphire Crystal Nail Polish £15 - this marshmallow pink/nude with crystal cap is said to be inspired by Kate's beautiful sapphire engagement ring. I'm sure this would make a great base for a french manicure.

The Royal Collection £25 - Four glossy nail colours which you could only imagine Kate might wear complete with gold bottle caps - if only they were made out of solid gold eh?

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this collection will be gracing my dressing table soon!

Unfortunately for me whilst everyone else will be watching the nuptials in HD on April 29th enjoying their 4-day weekend, I'll be in the office, manning the phones admiring my royal manicure!

If you too want to do the same, sign up for their waiting list here.

Hip, hip, hooray!

Coco Crazy

Over at Phoebe Does i spotted she had some amazing nail art going on involving the Chanel 'CC' logo. Now on first reflection i know these are very tacky and a little dare i say - My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding-ish but i do love my Coco Chanel and i just had to try it out for myself.

Nails Inc polish from the Glamour Collection in Tower Bridge.

Oh yes! Full on chav-tastic! They actually don't look that bad in the above photo but after wearing them to work i think less is more definitely applies here, so i decided to redo the manicure with just one accent nail.

Now doesn't that look better?

Ok, ok  i'm not sure it's for everyone and the opinion at work was 50/50 but forget about The Hills' Heidi Montag and take a look at these photos:



As seen on Vogue.co.uk no less - even i think this is too much!

 Are you convinced?

It's all grey-vy (sorry!)

Today's outfit was a LGD (Little Grey Dress). It was just about acceptable for my work code of dress when teamed with some opaques - I'm not sure i could ever wear it with bare legs :P

Dress: Asos

Tights: Primark

Shoes: Faith

I've cut my face out as this was taken after work and I'd been up since 5am so definitely not looking my best.

I love the design of this dress, it's quite simple with cap sleeves and pleated detailing - see below for close-up...

Apologies for the lack of flash but it was just emphasising how dirty my mirror is

And then i came home to a parcel - my eagerly awaited Nails Inc flash sale buy. On Friday Nails Inc tweeted they were having a flash sale (can't remember the occasion) with up to 77% off, so you know me, I'm a bit of a Nails Inc whore and couldn't resist the Glamour Collection which includes 6 nail polishes for £15!!!

The polishes came beautifully presented in a small box wrapped in black tissue paper....

And inside....ta-dah!

So on the top row we have from left-right....

Tower Bridge - Deep Burgundy brown
Duke Street - Mauve/ grey
Motcomb Street - V.dark navy/black - looks black at first glance but you can see navy blue running through

And bottom row left-right....

Birdcage Walk - soft marshmallow beige/pink
Chester Square  Burgundy/wine
Pembroke Close - Lilac

Now immediately Duke Street stood out as my favourite and seeing as i was wearing grey (hence the title) i thought it would match my outfit nicely - pretty pointless as i was already at home as had planned at night in watching The Brits.

Now it looks very distinctly like a flat grey in the NOTD and a little similar to my Rimmel Grey Matter as seen here but on close inspection you can pick up on the purple undertone making it more of a mauve colour. Grey nail polish has been having a bit of a moment during A/W '10 and works well with my office attire.

I'll do NOTD with the rest of the colours in due course.

Before i go i want to say a big congratulations to Tinie Tempah on scooping 2 Brit awards, i have his Disc-Overy album constantly on repeat on my ipod, its in my car and my workout CD! I'm going to post a pic soon complete with geeky glasses to commemorate!!

Work OOTD

Hi guys, just a quickie office OOTD from this week. The dress code at work is supposed to be smart but not suited and booted smart, think more advertising office smart, so at least we stamp our personality and individuality into our look. I have to be honest the following look doesn't really showcase this though - oops!



Apologies for the grainy iphone pics

Top - Miss Selfridge

Jacket - Warehouse

Trousers - Miss Selfridge

Shoes - River Island

This outfit does feature two of my wardrobe hero pieces. The first is the jacket, which i got in the sale recently and is perfect for slipping on over little camis and summer tops for the office and instantly smartens up your look and equally works well with jeans for day and night. The perfect cover-up for all seasons. The second hero piece are the trousers, it's not really these in particular trousers but the style, i am loving cropped, peg-leg and harem trousers. In summer i can't live without my skinnies and these are the work/office equivalent. They're great with flats and heels, for work or play, not to mention leg-lengthening effects!

The look was completed with my new statement ring from Dorothy Perkins which i mentioned previously but didn't have a photo ready so here it is:

I was playing around with my fringe that day and managed to find a good look - not managed to recreate it again though damn!

I must sort out my foundation! Face and chest two totally different colour MAC here i come...

I'm torn between growing out the blunt fringe or keeping it, so at the moment it looks a mess but nothing a bit of hairspray and kirby grips can't sort out.

And as promised yesterday's NOTD featuring Nail's Inc/ Diet Coke's Denim.

This colour looks better in the bottle than on and i was a bit disappointed as it doesn't seem as bright. You can get full cover with just one coat so plus points for that, but i can't really comment on durability as i accidentally painted basecoat instead of topcoat on one hand so had to take it off after one day! Matte one hand and gloss on other hand is not a good look. 

Anyway over at Saskia the Style Fairy you can find a great leopard print NOTD using Caramel and Heather Grey from the Diet Coke collection, as i already have the Caramel i going to try my hand and get a bit creative - fingers crossed!

Check out the link to Saskia's blog: http://saskiathesalsafairy.blogspot.com/2011/01/nails-incdiet-coke-leopard-notd.html

Have a great weekend!!

Nails Inc and Diet Coke

Nails Inc have introduced a few Limited Edition polishes my highlights are Foubert's Place and Porchester Square. Very on-trend for spring/summer.

Porchester Square

Porchester Square is a muted mushroom described as an "ultra delicate putty shade".

Foubert's Place

Foubert's Place is described as a cook khaki influenced by the collections from John Galliano and Yves Saint Laurent.

Now these are priced at £11 as usual.

Just to mention Diet Coke and Nails Inc have teamed up again. Boots have brought back the "Buy 2 bottles of Diet Coke and receive a free Nails Inc polish" offer back - hurrah!! Diet Coke is also on offer in Boots - buy 2 bottles for about £1.80 so for less than a fiver you can get two full sized Nails Inc polishes worth £11 each - bargain.

Now last time i left it late and the decent colours had all gone. But a trip to Boots in Leicester's Highcross revealed the choice of four colours were still available.
Tip: More polishes are at the till!

I picked up Denim (denim blue funny enough!) and Caramel (soft beige/nude).

I was keen to do a NOTD with Caramel as it's a perfect office-appropriate colour. Can't really comment on wear/chipping yet but you know i'm a huge fan of Nails Inc anyway. It's very similar in tone to my skin colour so it may wash me out a little but do i care? Hell no! I'll be awaiting some admiring glances from work!!!

Keep an eye out for a Denim NOTD but for now here's some images of the Catwalk Collection  taken from I heart Cosmetics.

You'll notice the Caramel would compliment Foubert's Place and Porchester Square perfectly and if you're buying all three you've got a great muted/nude collection.



An early Christmas present for you....

With the high street vying for your pennies this Christmas I've scoured the net and my inbox to bring you the best deals and discounts - don't go office party dress shopping without reading this!

http://www.office.co.uk/

- 10% off online purchases for 3 days only, ends midnight 25/11/10
Code - "EARLYGIFT"





http://www.tedbaker.com/

 - Free UK standard delivery on all orders placed between 22nd November and 22 December. No code needed. On my wish list: Anitah, Caza or Roverz purse please!

http://www.asos.com/

- 20% off ASOS brand items - not sure how long this is running for so be quick.
Code: ASOS20






http://www.frenchconnection.com/

 - Sample Sale 26th, 27th and 28th November.
Location: Centro One, 39 Camden Street, London, NW1 0DX
Opening Hours: Friday 26th: 9.30am - 7.00pm
Saturday 27th: 10.00am - 5.00pm
Sunday 28th: 10.00am - 4.00pm
Entrance Fee: £1 - donated to charity
Expect coats and jackets from £40 and knitwear and dresses from £20. If only i lived in London :(

- UK Glamour Magazine - the December issue comes with a free Nails Inc polish worth £11. You can choose from: Jermyn Street, Saville Row, Hampstead Heath or Warwick Avenue.
Magazine costs only £2 and includes a 25% discount for Kurt Geiger - double whammy.
I picked up Saville Row - a deep plum, v.wintry.

http://www.boots.com/

- 3 for 2 mix & match across make-up, nails and eyelashes. Doesn't apply to premium ranges, but includes L'Oreal, Urban Decay, Barry M, Bourjois etc. I picked up 3 Revlon products, a matte pale pink lipstick, a deep plum/purple lipstick and a compact blusher - swatches and reviews to come in a new post.





http://www.warehouse.co.uk/

 - Spend £50 at Warehouse online or in-store and receive £10 off - great for party dress season.
My eye is on the one-shoulder column maxi - hands off!
Online code: GRAZ12106 - valid until 30 November
In-store: Voucher in week ending 22 November UK Grazia magazine (Victoria Beckham on cover). Valid until 15 December (not concessions).






I'll update this with any new offers but feel free to post any of your own and let me know what you got with your discounts.