NOTD: Birds Egg Nails

On a recent trip to Superdrug, I spent my last pennies on the highly sought after Confetti top coat from L'Oreal. I was now finally able to recreate pretty birds egg style nails!

Step one: Apply a base coat. I used China Glaze's Strong Adhesion Base Coat

Step two: Apply two coats of Bourjois So Laque! Bleu Model

Step three: Apply one coat of L'Oreal Color Riche Polish in Parisienne Gardens (You can skip this step but I wanted a real pastel shade and the combination is pretty)

Step four: Apply one coat of L'Oreal Color Riche Confetti Top Coat

Step five: Apply a top coat. I used China Glaze's Fast Forward Top Coat

Et voila! Effortlessly chic and on trend nails.

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What do you think? Have you tried this trend?

NOTD & How To: Aztec Nails

I seem to have my creative nail hat on at the moment! I've tried something new and went for an Aztec design on a pastel base and I really loved the results.

So many people have said to me that this design looks really hard and must have taken a lot of patience. I didn't find it difficult thanks to Barry M's fab nail art pens, but time and patience was most definitely needed!

Here's a simple step by step of how I created my Aztec themed nails:

001. Start with a base coat. I used China Glaze Strong Adhesion Base Coat.
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002. Paint your base colour. I used two coats of Barry M Gelly Hi Shine Nail Paint in Greenberry.
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003. When your base is completely dry, use the Barry M Nail Art Pen in black to create three lines. The first should be about a third of the way down the nail (imagine if you were creating a freehand French manicure and where you'd want the white part of the nail to end). The second should be two thirds down the nail and the third should be half way between that line and the end of your polish.
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004. Fill in the tips of your nails using the same nail art pen.
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005. Whilst that is drying, create the zigags at the base of the nail.
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006. Take the silver nail art pen and fill in the space between the two black lines toward the base of the nail.
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007. Now take the white nail art pen and create dots before the section you have just filled in.
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008. The tips of your nails should now be dry so take your white nail art pen and create zig zags and dots. You could do stripes or diagonal lines - whatever takes your fancy! If you're looking for inspiration there's tonnes of amazing ideas with a simple Google Images search.
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009. Give your nails time to dry then seal with a top coat. I used China Glaze Fast Forward Top Coat.

Et voila! Simples!

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Have you tried Aztec design before? If so, send me your links. If not, will you be giving it a go?

Current Obsessions: Coral

It's no secret that coral is my favourite colour and now Spring has sprung I wanted to show you the items I've been loving lately to inject some much needed colour into my every day look.

1. Sleek Blush by 3 in Lace
This made an appearance in my March favourites because it was my go to blush palette. Whether I wanted a shimmer or matte finish, this palette had me covered. The colours are so insanely pigmented and last all day on me. This is currently £9.99 and part of a 3 for 2 deal in Superdrug.

2. Forever 21 Polka Dot Hairband
I'm loving being able to jazz up my hair and this recent addition to my collection is no exception. It's cute, it's coral and I really love it - you can see it in action in a recent face of the day.

3. Topshop Blush in Head Over Heels
Is there anything Topshop makeup cannot do? I am seriously loving everything I have tried from them and their cream blushes are the best I've tried (and trust me, I've got lots!). When they added a new coral shade to their repertoire, I snapped it up. A lovely cream to powder finish this is super easy to apply leaving a lovely flush of colour that lasts all day.

4. George at Asda Coral Canvas Pumps
On a recent dash to Asda for DVD night munchies with friends, I saw these for a mere £6.00. They are so comfortable and even survived a very wet trip to Alton Towers! I was tempted to pick up another pair but they're sold out in store and online :(

5. Accessorize Diagonal Zip Cross Body Clutch
This was an absolute impulse buy when I visited the Trafford Centre a few weeks ago. I walked through the door and BAM! there it was. Instant love. It's been everywhere with me since.

6. Illamasqua Nail Polish in Lament
I love a coral nail polish and I practically wore this over the whole of summer last year and it's quickly taken on a reappearance this year. A beautiful bright clean peachy coral, this shade is perfect for brightening up my talons! You can see it in action in a rather colourful post here.

7. River Island Coral RI Embossed Purse
Of course if one buys a coral bag, one simply must have a coral purse to go with it. Another Trafford Centre purchase, I picked up the last one on the shelf. I would say I'm sorry, but that'd be a teensy weensy white lie. It's a lovely slim line purse with plenty of space for cards, change and must have purse paraphernalia!

8. Dior Addict Lipstick in Model

I can't believe how long I've had this gorgeous lipstick - I picked it up on a bloggers day out in 2011 - and it's still going strong despite being one of my most worn lippies. A beautiful pink toned coral, I wear this pretty much all of the time. If I can't decide on a shade, Model is always my go to product of choice for a glossy, coralicious pout!

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Are you loving coral? Let me know which colours and products you are loving for Spring!

Review: MUA Power Pout in Broken Hearted

If there's one thing that I've watched with intrigue over the last few months, its high street budget makeup brands falling over themselves to produce affordable dupes of high end products. Specifically I was interested in dupes for Clinque's Chubby Sticks. I own one and I love it, but do I really want to pay £16 per shade when I want to add to my collection? Not really. MUA have hit the nail on the head with their latest offering in the form of new Power Pout.

Identical to Chubby Sticks, the Power Pouts are colour intense tints and balms. Having compared the websites, it would seem MUA are trying to mirror the Chubby Stick Intense range and I think they've done a fab job. I've not tried the Clinique's latest offering to compare however I do love the Chubby Stick in Two Ton Tomato that I own. Having said that, I prefer Power Pout! 

I own Broken Hearted, a rich, deep, raspberry pink. It's easy to apply, feels moisturizing, gives even colour and has a glossy finish. Power Pout have a slightly minty scent but I don't find them as overpowering as the Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stains. I find once applied, the colour stays put. After a while, the gloss can vanish but the stain remains even and the colour doesn't fade away. 

I think I'm definitely going to have to invest in some more!

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Have you tried Power Pout? Do you prefer them to pricier alternatives?

NOTD: Leopard Print Nails using Barry M's Nail Art Pens

Products

China Glaze Strong Adhesion Base Coat

Seventeen Lasting Fix Polish in Pink Grapefruit

Barry M Nail Art Pens in Silver and Black

China Glaze Fast Forward Top Coat

I found the black pen super easy to work with but the silver pen was a bit more tricky. Maybe it's the polish, or maybe I just got a dodgy one? Even so, it made doing nail art a whole lot easier. Well done Barry M!

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Have you tried the new nail art pens from Barry M?

Whatever you're doing this Bank Holiday Monday, have a fab one!