Bonjour Monsieur

Another day, another sort of French nail!! When I think of France I think of the classic striped shirt male, garlic and onions round the neck, beret on their head, waving around some sort of french stick and this man ALWAYS has a moustache! I also have quite a collection of moustache related items including my new blog design!  If I was a man I would definitely be taking part in Movember!

Revlons Lilac and a Black nail art pen

This post reminds me of a snap of me my tash necklace!!

Moustache necklace River Island

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ColorSplash Nails Tutorial..

When I did my Reading Festival nails here, I was asked so many times how i did it so here is my tutorial.  I think gradient colours look best so firstly choose your colour theme.. I went with dark orange through to pale yellow this time...  

    1.  Paint your nails with 2 coats of white polish, let them fully dry 2.  Take your first colour and paint a little star shape in the top right corner of your nail 3.  With your next colour outline the star you have just drawn 4, 5 and 6.  Continue outlining your last star with the different colours 7.  If you still have a lot of white polish showing add another part of a star to the bottom of your nail so most of your nail is coloured, finish with a coat of Seche Vite!

 

 

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Le Nails

You are probably aware, as I keep banging on about it, that I am off to Paris!! This is mine and my BF's first trip to the beautiful French city and we cannot wait!!  I will defo be researching where to get the best croissant and coffee, and probably bringing home an extra suitcase full of cheese!!
Anyway.. I have been trying out some Parisian inspired designs for my nails so that they are suitably dressed for the occasion.. here is what I came up with last night!



You may think these are a little random but I was actually inspired by some very beautiful exquisite cupcakes that caught my eye on Pinterest recently..

I would pay a significant amount of money to have those cakes made for me!! They are too pretty to eat right?!!!
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My Blog Makeover

Looks are important.
We all know the old saying "never judge a book.." and all that but if I am going to read a blog it firstly has to look good.  I have been really unhappy with how my blog looked and wanted something unique and suited to my style..

I am pretty terrible with techy stuff and until i started my blog for all i knew a html was some kind of STD!  I had been scowering the net for endless tutotrials on how to make your own half decent blog but i ended up practically chucking my laptop across the room in rage every time!  Then one fine day I saw at the bottom of a very pretty-ful blog "Made by Yours Truly Designs", I clicked the link and up popped the answer to my prayers!

http://www.yourstrulyblogdesigns.com/

I got in touch with Chelsea straight away and I had a reply within hours, bearing in mind she is in the U.S!  I chose this design out of a selection of pre-made sites as I fell in love with the moustache theme (I seem to have a vast collection of moustache related items)  I also added some extras to make the page a little more special like the about me section and tabs

Chelsea has a selection of these pre-made packages or you can get a completely custom made site for a very reasonable fee.  If you are a dedicated blogger and thinking how-the-hell-do-you-make-that like I was, then get browsing on Yours Truly Designs and find the perfect look for your blog that you've been dreaming off!  She also has her own personal blog which you can find here

Thanks Chelsea :)

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September Jolie Box

Hello lovelies!
I haven't blogged about my beauty boxes in a while mainly because I've been somewhat disappointed with them - no I am not one of those people constantly moaning on GlossyBox's facebook page complaining that I am not getting boxes full of full sized Clinique and Chanel products!!  However I do expect all of the products to be of a certain size and standard!

Saying that, apart from 1 teeny sample, this months Jolie Box was rather satisfying!  Here are my first thoughts on the box..

Balmi Lip Balm (RRP £4.99, full size)
LOVE this little ball of yumminess!!!!  I received the beautiful smelling matte black ball in Blackcurrant flavour and it is delish!  I have been using it constantly since I opened my box and its keeping my super dry lips soft and smelling gorgeous!  The balm contains shea butter and jojoba oil which is so moisturising and the shape of the product is fab as it means no fingers needed!


I Love... Coconut Face Mask (RRP 49p?, full size 15ml sachet)
I am a massive fan of face masks, I tend to use them once a fortnight whilst watching some kind of chick movie and pillow fighting with my girl friends... OK so maybe not but I defo try to apply one a much as poss!!  This one sounds great as i love the smell of coconut and its packed with loads of fruit extracts and everyone knows fruit is good for you right?!  Will be trying this out Friday night so i'll let you know how i get on there..


Redken Align 12 Protective Straightening Lotion (30ml sample, full size 150ml - RRP £15ish)

I actually let out a small to medium EEKKK when I discovered there was Redken in my box!! As you will know I recently did a post about their fabulous Blow Dry Lotion which is my holy grail every morning!  I tried this out this morning and O.M.G it is brilliant!  I didn't straighten my hair at all  which just is not the norm for me in the slightest!!  My hair is totally frizz free and straight (but not poker and flat and horrid)  I will 100% be purchasing the full size as the results are amazing!

Twistband Hair Ties x 2   RRP $2 each
Now I have seen a couple of people slagging these cute hair ties off!!  I think people need to lay off these little bad boys as I am loving them!  I received the red and silver and tried them out last night.. not only do they not leave the dreaded hair tie kink but they didn't snag my hair at all which is a pet hate of mine with  normal hair ties.  I also think they look so cute in your hair, almost like a little ribbon!  I want more :)

Dr Bragi Bio Marine Exfoliant (2 x *TINY* sample sachets, full size 50ml - RRP £25)
So this is that "teeny sample" I mentioned at the start of this post.  So think of a postage stamp and that's about the size of the packaging.. then probably less than a pea sized amount inside!  How ridiculous is that?!  How on earth you are meant to try out this exfoliant and review it is beyond me but I gave it a go last night and its actually a really great product.  I am a big fan of Dermalogica's Microfoliant and the consistency felt very similar to that and for half the price full size!  The thing is I sometimes like a product after using it once but I need to try it at least 3 or 4 times to confirm that I love it so I very much doubt I will be buying the full size based on the silly sample sachets


So I think this has been one of my fave boxes to date.. however I am thinking of cancelling my GlossyBox and signing up for a She Said Beauty Box!?  Should I take the plunge?? What is everyones thoughts on the She Said boxes?

L xx

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Fashion Week Nails

With all these amazing photos around of everything going on at the current fashion weeks I thought I would do some simple nails inspired by my fave fash capitals!

My base colour was 2 coats of a beautiful french pink from Rimmel London.. this polish dries really quickly and is super shiny and hard so I will be using this lots more.  It gives my nails that translucent nude colour that I am loving at the moment!

I then painted on my fave fashion capitals NYC, London and Paris, with a fine nail art brush and finished with a coat of Seche Vite

I am off to Paris in a couple of weeks so more Parisian style mani's to come!!

L xx

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Instalife

Pug Tee.  I love mushrooms.  Just an everyday question.  Hello Kitty Vans.  Real Greek LUSH LUNCH.  Searceys Champagne bar.  Afro washer.  Typical night in.  Parisian cakes.  Cheryl <3.  Cross bracelet.  WAH Nails bible. Team Kristen.  Amazing wine light. Couch to 5K new hobby.  ADDICTED to this series.

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Lippy!

I rarely wear lipstick but when I do I always go for something girly pink or au naturelle, these new Maybelline lipsticks were no exception and I went for one of each!

The first is in the cutest packaging ever with a holographic lid.  I am sucker for anything that is dressed up pretty!!  The shade is Rosy Dream and is a sheer baby pink with a lovely glossy sheen to it.. not too pink and Barbie but just enough pigmentation to be noticeable!  Love this sugary sweet colour!

The second is a more every day lippy and is in shade Coral Pearl.  Another rather sheer and glossy product but in a darker coral pink which looks really natural on the lips but has a hint of shimmer which is lovely

I am so pleased with both of them, especially the price as these are currently 2 for £10 at Boots!

L xx

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Love/Hate Relationship with Nails

Oh hey me.

I've seen a lot of these "tattoo" style writing on nails and have wanted to give it a go for a little while now and I dont know about anyone else but yes i was one of those kids who wrote "LOVE" and "HATE" on my knuckles at school!  (wow geek!!!)  So this mani was the perfect way for me to express my inner love/hate in a more grown up manner.. sort of!!!

The pink is my fave Nicki Minaj for OPI Pink Friday x 2 coats and the black is my YSL Noir painted on with a mini striping brush

Anyone else feeling the love/hate?!!!

L xx



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Embellished Collar DIY

 

I have been feeling mega creative at the moment.. I think its due to my addiction with Pinterest and all the amazing ideas I find on there, I feel like I must put them all into action immediately!

 

I have always been into embellishing and altering my own clothes so this little project was a definite must-do on my list

 

I really love all the pretty collars I have been seeing in the shops lately and it is so so easy and lets not forget CHEAP to create your own - AND its even rather fun!!

 

 

 You will need the following:

Your collared top/shirt (mine was a plain white sleeveless shirt £10 from River Island)

Needle and thread

Varius beads in different sizes (mine were all from Ebay for £1 a bag!)

Scissors

 

The best way to plan where you want your beads to go is to place them where you think they will look good and take a photo so you remember where to sew them.  You want both sides of your collar to look symmetrical and even with the beads

Make sure you sew each bead on tight as they will obviously go through the washing machine and you don't want them to be falling off!

 

Here is my finished collar!

 

 

 

 

I hope this has inspired you to embellish your clothes.. it is honestly so fun and I have been asked so many times already where my super cool pearly top is from!!

L xx

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My Version of WAH Nails...

 

WAH Nails are taking the nail art world by storm in the UK at the moment and their designs are amazing!!!  I constantly check their website and Instagram for inspiration and ideas for my own mani's

 

Here is a nail wheel I have been working on with some of their designs on it.  My fave is the Paisley nail as I think it looks fantastic on real nails and really has a wow factor!  I also love the anchor and I think I will be using this in my next nail art venture

 

 

WAH Nails.. please give me a job!!! ;-)

L xx



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A Hippy Weekend

 

 

These were my creation for the Reading Festival weekend!  I wanted something super colourful and hippy to go with my festival attire so I picked my fave shades and used my nail art brushes to apply them!

 

Its so easy to create this look and I am thinking I need to do a picture tutorial on these instead of waffling on trying to explain how!

Would you lot like to see a tutorial??

 

L xx

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Instalife

Pork Chops Jamie Oliver Styley. Nail Art Wheel. Honey&Lemon Menthol. Nieces. Jamie Olivers Union Jacks (amazing). BF attempting to stab me. Reading Festival Besties. Reading Festival Rain. Love/Hate Shoes. Selfie. Kissy. Fave Lacquers. Windsor Races BBQ. Fave Book. Heart Ibiza Forever. Mental Work Party Standard.

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Leopard Grrrr'adient

Morning kids!!  I have had the worst flu EVER this last week so I hadn't painted my nails at all and i was having terrible withdrawals!  So I decided I needed something bright and wacky on my talons for this coming week ahead to cheer myself up!

The leopard gradient was born!

For the gradient I firstly painted my nails with a plain white polish and let this fully dry.  Next I used a make-up sponge dipped in both colours and literally dabbed onto my nail until the desired blend was achieved

The pink is Nicki Minaj for OPI Pink Friday and the purple is Revlon's Lilac (a current favourite colour of mine!)

I almost just left my nails at the gradient level.. but i had to take it a step further and add something a little extra, so I got out my new ASP Nail Art Brushes and added some leopard print with my YSL Noir Terriblement and Rimmel Peppermint 

I am really loving the gradient look at the moment.. are you??!

L xx

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