Chanel Summer Nail Varnish 2013

I was trying so hard not to succumb to Chanel's summer collection, but after seeing swatches of the two blue nail varnishes I could hold back no longer.

So I welcome the gorgeous Azure and Bel-argus into my life.

They are stunning. Pictures do no justice.

I added a floral stamp using Konad white polish and Nailz Craze plate 3 

Love this mani.

OPI Tomorrow Never Dies Stamped Nails

Asos crazily marked the OPI James Bond collection down to half price so after resisting 'another purple polish' for ages I finally cracked and invested in Tomorriw Never Dies.

It is gorgeous. A beautiful deep blue based purple. Amazing coverage and totally opaque in two coats. I can see it becoming my new go to dark purple it's that perfect.

To finish off my mani I used mash plate 40 and Konad silver special polish to add swirls.

Simple but effective.

Blue and Glittery Star Nails

I finally managed to get my hands on Models Own Southern Lights and Northern Lights, the two beautiful glitters from their winter Wonderland collection.

They are simply breath taking.
Opaque glitter in two coats and full of holographic shimmer. Stunning.

I was desperate to use them so I create a blue mani using Nails Inc bluebell colour and then Models Own Southern Lights on my thumb and ring finger. Then on the plain nails I stamped with Mash 49 plate using Konad special polish in white.

Nails Inc Leather Effect Nails

My newest item in my nail polish collection is the new leather effect polish that was recently released by Nails Inc. it comes in a set with four gorgeous skull studs and nail glue to attach them (can't wait to give them a go).

Today I just stuck to trying out the nail varnish.
I love it.
The end effect is so textured. It's easy to apply, one coat is almost opaque but its so quick drying that I went for two.

On my middle finger I used two coats of Lime Crime's Milky Way which I then stamped with Konad's black special polish using Nailz Craze plate NC02.

Finally on my ring finger is Colour Clubs Harp On It.

This was inspired by a look I found on Instagram by chitchatnails.

I love Instagram it's a fab place to share and find ideas.

I'm dancinqueen88 on there if you want to check my profile out.

Blue Paisley Nails

Another gradient attempt, this time much less obvious but maybe not even noticeable. Still clearly need more practice.

Started with two coats of the gorgeous blue, Splish Splash, from China Glaze. Then sponged on two layers of and old navy ASOS nail paint.

Stamped on a paisley pattern using Bundle Monster plate BM315 and Konad's special polish in white. And sealed with Models Own top coat.

Colour Club Holo

The Colour Club Halo Hues collection has been knocking around the blogosphere for a while now and a few weeks ago I got my hands on the silver one named Harp On It.

It's the perfect holo nail polish. Two coats to perfection.

In the below picture I used two coats and then stamped using Konad's black special polish and Bundle Monster plate BM-317 on most nails and BM-311 on the ring finger. Finishing it all with a coat of Models Own top coat.

Lime Crime leopard nails

I got a couple of nail varnishes from lime crime a couple of weeks ago and since Christmas is over I've given up on red and green glitter.

Enter lime green leopard nails.

I used two coats of Lime Crime Pistachio then used a dotting tool and Milky Ways to add random dots before finishing it off with some black to make the leopard pattern.

More Snowflake Nails

Another use of bundle monster plate BM 323. It's just so Christmassy. Especially over red nails.

I started with two coats of Cult Nails superbly festive red called Bitten, then added Deborah Lippmanns's Razzle Dazzle glitter on the tips.

Stamping was done using konad's special polish in white.

Enjoy!

Green Glittery Christmas Nails

A couple of new pieces from my nail collection came out to play for this one.

Bright green is my favourite colour at the moment so Cult Nails new release Coveted became an instant must have, as did China Glaze's green glitter Running in Circles from their Cirque Du Soleil collaboration.

The obvious thing to do was a glitter gradient. So two coats of coveted and a smattering of running in circles later we have a very green nail that was a bit plain for my liking.

So I used bundle monster plate BM 323 and Konad special polish in white to add some wintry snowflakes.

The picture only has two figures as the mani was a few days old by the time I took the picture and I had tip wear!

China Glaze - It's A Trap-eze

China Glaze's holiday offering this year was with Cirque Du Soleil's release of World's Away 3D.

I adore Cirque Du Soleil. I was lucky enough to see 'O' while in Vegas and so the love affair began. Now whenever they're in the UK I try and go to the show.

So when I saw this collaboration I couldn't pass up. I got three colours off eBay and today I have the fabulous It's A Trap-eze. A gorgeous multicoloured glitter suspended in a milky white base. This is truly unique and such fun. I used three coats and topped it off with a couple of clear coats to smooth the texture.

Even in an extensive nail polish collection this is definitely one that will stand out!

Butter London HRH with added glitz

This week I had a little splurge on Cocktail Cosmetics who stock a huge range of fantastic beauty brands.

Butter London's Cadbury purple nail varnish called HRH is one I've had my eye on for quite some time so when they had it reduced to £9 I had to have it.

Two coats and this colour is beautiful. It applies well and dries quickly. Another winner from Butter London!

Obviously I couldn't help myself so I had to add some sparkle. I used Barry M silver glitter to get a bit of a reverse glitter gradient and then layered over Topshop's Ice Crush to add some holo fun to the party.

I recommend both HRH and Cocktail Cosmetics who delivered incredibly quickly.

Green Sparkly Nails

Christmas is coming, which always leaves me with the need to have green or red sparkly nails.

Today I went for green.

I used two coats of Cult Nails Feelin' Froggy with one coat of Alter Ego to add a bit more shimmer then two coats of Models Own Dancing Queen glitter from their Mirrorball collection.

Winter Wonderland - Layering nail varnish

As part of my mini Models Own haul earlier this week I got Indian Ocean. I found it a bit sheer on its own so decided to layer it over Cult Nails Charming. What a beautiful combination. A lilacy, blue, shimmery ocean of loveliness!

Obviously I couldn't resist using glitter so i used another one of my new polishes, Snowflakes. A gorgeous holo flakie.

I love the final result. A perfect winter wonderland.

Models Own - Boogie Nights

Asos recently got the Models Own Mirrorball collection. And in true magpie fashion I had to have some of the beautiful shiny glitters! I got two from the collection and today I have boogie nights to show you.

The glitter is mainly pink based with blue and holo flecks in. All the glitter is hand cut meaning they are wonderfully random.

It's not the easiest polish to work with, like most glitter suspended in clear base you have to arrange the glitter to get an even spread and I found it took a while to dry due to the thickness when trying to get good glitter distribution.

I used three coats of Boogie Nights over one coat of Cult Nails Charming and sealed with one coat of OPI top coat.

Green Gradient Stamped Stars - Feat. Cult Nails

I love green.
I love stars.
I love Cult Nails.

See where I'm going with this?

I started off with a couple of coats of Cult Nails Deal With It polish, then sponged on Feelin' Froggy followed by Illamasqua Viridian to create a light to dark green gradient.

Could have left it there but I felt it needed something extra to make it pop. So as is often the case Cheeky plate CH5 came out along with Konad special polish in black to add some stars.

All finished off with OPI top coat and we have my mid week manicure.

This is one that will definitely be repeated again.

Cult Nails Charlatan

My second order from the magnificent Cult Nails arrived today.

I was so excited/impatient that in the hour between coming home from work and going to ballet I had to try one out.

Charlatan is the one I am most excited about. Seeing people pictures of it in action made me need it. Not want it, need it.

It's a gorgeous top coat that is pink toned with micro green glitter suspended in it. Amazing.

I cannot wait to try out out on different colour bases and over the top of stamped nail art.

My pictures don't even come close to doing it justice, I definitely recommend trying this or any other Cult Nail polishes out. It's one hell of an indie brand!

Burgundy Lips - Featuring Rocker from Mac

Mac finally released their By Request collection on the UK website.

The collection was a vote by customers to bring back their favourite limited edition products.

After voting ended the three winning lip glosses, lipsticks and eye shadows were announced.

A few pieces caught my eye and today I have the perfectly vampy and on trend lipstick in Rocker.

It's a gorgeous matte burgundy with tiny gold flecks. I love this colour, perfect for the winter months!

Face:
Urban Decay Naked foundation in 3.5
Mac Pro Longwear Bronzing Powder in Nude on Board
Nars Illuminator in Orgasm

Eyes:
Mac Eyeshadow in Jete
Bobbi Brown eyeshadow in espresso

Lips:
Mac lip pencil in Currant
Mac lipstick in Rocker

Lightly pinked lips - featuring OCC lip tars

Face:
YSL Touché Éclat Foundation in BD40
Chanel universal bronzing base

Eyes:
Urban Decay 24/7 eyeliner in Zero
Bobbi Brown eyeshadow in espresso to fill in brows

Lips:
OCC Lip Tars in Orphelia and Pretty Boy

LOTD Dark Berry Lips - Lord & Berry Lipstick

The trend on alot of celebrities and models at the moment is the dark berry lip.
I love this look so much. My inner rocker was dying to break out, so when ASOS had 20% off makeup I invested in my first Lord & Berry lipstick called Vogue Black Red.

It's got a matte finish and I absolutely adore the colour. It's rich and pigmented, although a little drying, but this is often the case with matte lipsticks anyway.

I wore it to work one friday and although noone said anything I did get a few double takes, but that's never really bothered me as long as it's for having out there makeup rather than it being smeared all over my face.
I just stuck to a plain black flick on the eye, with a little bit of Mac Young Punk over the top to set it and add a little sparkle.

This lipstick would look fab with a dark smokey eye on a night out. Probably not so work friendly though!

Maybelline Colour Tattoo Cream Eyeshadows

I am a massive fan of Mac Paint Points, I use them most days as a base for other eye shadows. The only thing they lack are colours. Occasionally we get some colours released as part of a limited edition collection but the permanent ones are all very neutral.

So when I saw the Maybelline 24 Hr Colour Tattoos came in some bright colours I knew I had to check them out.

I grabbed a couple from my local Boots store when they were 3 for 2.

The two that caught my eye were Endless Purple and Turquoise Forever.
The colour payoff is great. Endless Purple needs a couple of layers to really pack on the colour but Forever Turquoise is intense in one swipe.

I certainly haven't worn them for 24 hours but I have worn them both alone and with eye shadows on top for around 12 hours with no creasing or fading. These are fab.

If you're a fan of Mac Paint Pots but not the price tag then you should definitely check these out as they are only £4.99 each and currently on offer at Boots where you will get 3 for 2. Bargain.

Endless Purple

Forever Turquoise

 

Endless Purple

Forever Turquoise

Left - Endless Purple     Right - Forever Turquoise