Top 5: Autumn Winter Nail Shades

Essie Fiji is currently collecting dust in a box as it’s time for the more seasonal appropriate polishes to come out. Enter a love affair with warm berries, nudes and even a blue!

Essie Recessionista Swatch

Essie Wicked Swatch

My favourite pick out of the bunch has got to be, Essie Recessionista, part of their fall collection and the perfect berry shade, lighter than Essie Wicked which sometimes almost looks black. 

Avon Nailwear Pro+ in Vintage Boutique Swatch

I absolutely love Avon's affordable polishes, my summer favourite was Pink Pastel and fall has got to be this Nailwear Pro+ in Vintage Boutique, a dark taupe shade.

YSL La Laque Couture in 14 Violine Surrealiste Swatch

My first YSL polish is an absolute gorgeous shade, 14 Violine Surrealiste pleased to report it lasts well on the nails and has a similar  fan brush to the Essie diffusion line so a couple of coats does the trick and easy to apply on oneself.

Topshop Awol Swatch

Topshop Awol is a shade I wouldn't normally see myself wearing but fell in love with the bright electric blue.

Dior 413 Grege Swatch

Part of Dior’s new Nude collection comes this gorgeous shade, 413 Grege which is the perfect nude. I can see this gracing my nails in Summer too but I just couldn't wait!  

What shades have been gracing your nails this fall?

Colour Focus: Peach

Thanks to a recent impulse purchase, I've absolutely fallen head over heels for peach shades. It's like I've had a magnet installed in me to attract anything peach. From dresses, to nails and even fruit. Totally out of my usual greige family comfort zone - madness I know.

First up is what started it all - Mac Style Blush. A lot of love has to be given to this blush, it's absolutely stunning on the skin. The golden finely milled shimmer running through it helps fake that 'lit from within' glow that aids to enhancing a tan.

Since finding Mac Style Blush, I've been on a desperate quest to find the lipgloss equivalent, so much so I applied the blush on my lips! On one of my many Sephora trips this summer, I came across Make Up For Ever S6, which is a pretty close match! A light peach shade with a gorgeous golden shimmer  with a formula that isn't too sticky or drying.

As for my nails it's still a love affair with Essie Tart Deco which I spoke about in more detail here for being the perfect tan enhancing bright nail shade.

If I had to choose a drink that made me think of summer it would be Iced Tea Peach. Surely I'm not the only one that can't put this down? There hasn't been a day where I haven't gone without my daily fix. It's so refreshing and really hits the spot when I need to cool down. 

Speaking of food and drink, flat peaches are my new food obsession. Mainly because they aren't readily available in London - grass is always greener on the other side and all that jazz. If you're a fruit eater, I definitely recommend checking them out - much more flavour than your average peach.

One of my most used skirts this summer is of course, peach! It's perfect for humid days as it's totally weightless so I don't find myself getting too flustered in it. It has one of those Angie leg slits too - great for allowing a little breeze!

What's your favourite peach item?

50 Shades Of Pink

Essie Fiji, Avon Nailwear Pro + in Pastel Pink, L'Oreal Colour Riche in 202 Marie Antoinette, Essie Chastity, Essie Splash Of Grendaine, OPI If You Moust You Moust, Essie Status Symbol, Essie Calypso, Ciate Jelly Bean, Revlon Cherries In The Snow, Essie Raspberry (left to right)

Whenever I'm near a nail polish stand I always end up gravitating towards the pink shades, it's the little girl in me! Even if I go out aiming to pick up a totally unusual shade for me (Essie Mint Candy Apple I'm talking to you) I'll end up picking up multiple pink polishes too.

Since I've gotten into looking after my nails and they are finally growing I've been buying polishes left right and centre to celebrate! These are some of my favourites, the shades we brought on holiday, you know because you need 11 different shades of pink for one holiday...of course.

From left to right,

Essie Fiji

Avon Nailwear Pro Plus in Pastel Pink

L'Oreal Colour Riche in 202 Marie Antoinette

Essie Chastity

Essie Splash Of Grenadine

OPI If You Moust You Moust

Essie Status Symbol

Essie Calypso

Ciate Jelly Bean

Revlon Cherries In The Snow

Essie Raspberry

Essie Fiji, Avon Nailwear Pro + in Pastel Pink, L'Oreal Colour Riche in 202 Marie Antoinette, Essie Chastity, Essie Splash Of Grendaine, OPI If You Moust You Moust, Essie Status Symbol, Essie Calypso, Ciate Jelly Bean, Revlon Cherries In The Snow, Essie Raspberry (left to right)

What's your favourite pink polish?

Beauty On Location: The Beach!

It's not often I venture out to the beach, I'm more partial to sitting in the comfort of my own home totally sunscreened up looking all white and greasy      
Minimal products only here, of course going to the beach means sunglasses are on which rules out eye makeup, and knowing me they are massively oversized which also rules out quite a bit of face products causing me to only reach for concealer!

When I'm not applying too much on my face I like to apply something really lovely to my nails to make myself feel a little more polished. Beachy makeup isn't really my thing, it gets sweated off (lovely) or washed away by the sea water, this 'On Location' post is a little more than what's included on my face, it includes hair nails and body too! 

Nails

- Essie Tart Deco - a gorgeous bright peach that really enhances a tan

Body

- For some sun protection I've been using Institut Estederm Adapta sun (post here) which doesn't work like a typical sun protection with SPF but instead uses ingredients to help your skin adapt to its environment. I've still got a little left in my UV InCellium Spray which I'm using as a refresher whilst tanning (post here)

Face

- Chantecaille Ultra Sun Protection SPF 50 PA+++ o (post here) for some sun protection as it leaves absolutely no white residue on my face and leaves a lovely matte finish. Followed by Make Up For Ever Waterproof Concealer on any blemishes or redness (post here) 

Hair

- Alright so my hair is a little on the frizzy side in this humidity and to combat that I use Fekkai Silky Straight Ironless Serum and a little bit of Bumble & Bumble Surf Spray to enhance beachy waves and add some texture and volume. If the wind causes some out of control knots a little spritz of Klorane Leave In Detangler will sort that out. 

The dress I'm wearing was a market find from Ibiza and I'm in love with it! It's probably my most worn item this summer, something that's so easy to throw on and will go with anything      

What do you wear to the beach?

Top 5: Summer Nail Polishes

I'm all about the pinks and the reds, especially in Summer! Here are my top 5 polishes I'll be wearing this summer (from left to right)

1. Ciate Mistress

2. Essie Splash Of Grenadine

3. Chanel Holiday from their summer collection (full post here)

4. Ciate Jelly Bean (free in this months Red magazine)

5. Essie Haute as Hello

What polishes will you be wearing this Summer?

Currently Loving: Essie Nail Polish

This post should probably be called Currently Re-loving Essie Nail Polish as  thats pretty much whats happened. Over the past couple of years between my sister my Mum and I we have ended up with a pretty sizeable Essie collection and had named these our favourite brand of nail polish. There was just one huggge problem, especially for my sister and I  - the brush. We just simply couldn't paint my own nails with such a small brush so we moved onto OPI as the brushes were wider and easier to use. Recently much to my great pleasure Essie have relaunched and now have a new diffusion line in Boots and Superdrug for £7.99, over 70 shades to choose from and with wider brushes! 

Left - Essie Polish New Diffusion Line Brush Right - Essie Original Brush

Recently I've picked up (from left to right below) Muchi Muchi, Mint Candy Apple, Status Symbol and Splash Of Grenadine. The thicker brush makes it so much easier to paint my own nails!  I'm guessing they changed the formula and I don't think it lasts as long on my nails. Another little annoying thing they've changed is the name of the polish is now on the side of the lid as opposed to the bottom. 

While on the topic of nails...if you're in Boots or Superdrug make sure to check out Bourjois 1 Second Nail Polish Remover if you like to change your polish a lot like me! It will save you tons of time and so many cotton pads. All you do is whirl your finger around in the pot of sponge infused polish and all gone!

What are you favourite Essie colours?

How To: Pedicure At Home

With exams on the way there's no better way of procrastination than a good pamper session    . Seeing as I hate people touching my feet I tend to give myself pedicures from time to time. This ritual starts with a good soak, followed by some scrubbing and ends with a lovely moisturiser to finish. Plus some useful tools in the middle. Since my feet have been in hiding throughout winter and summer is approaching (hello open toe shoes!) now is the perfect time to be indulging in a bit of feet pampering. 

To soak my feet I normally start by filling up a little tub with warm water and adding a couple of drops Aromatherapy Associates Bath and Shower Oil in Relax into the mix to get the aroma of a spa going. After letting my feet soak in the mixture for a while I then take one out and rub The Body Shop Peppermint Smoothing Pumice Foot Scrub all over my foot, it has a gel like texture which is really soothing and includes little exfoliating beads to help get rid of all that accumulated grime. Lovely! After letting that dissolve for a little bit I then go in with my trusty Boots Botanics Foot Pumice and scrub my heels, which are usually the most rough. This is quite an aggressive little tool so it gets reserved for severely bad days! I then place my foot back in the little tub and repeat these steps on the other.

The Star of the show really is this Rio Rapid Heel Smoother, a little machine which gently, and not tickling may I add, removes dead skin. There's also two different tips, one for your heel and one for around your toes. I'm constantly looking for time savers and this little machine is total genius as it does all the work for you! I found it works best on damp skin, so as I take my foot out the tub I wipe it with a towel, so it's still moist just not totally wet. As I mentioned it comes with two tips, the smaller one for toes is made for me as I can never seem to get rid of those annoying bits of skin round the nail and this helps me buff them away. This is a great little tool that I would recommend to anyone going on holiday while wanting to keep their feet looking pretty! Anyway back to the pedicure, any bits of cuticle left I then remove with a Tweezerman Cuticle Nipper. After all this exfoliating I then wash my foot a little bit, cover it in The Body Shop Hemp Foot Protector. Having my new best friend ingredient, hemp, means it's perfect for dry skin & adding in tons of moisture. For my cuticles I then take a little bit of cuticle oil, my latest favourite being Solar Oil, which I wrote about here if you fancy some extra reading :) other favourites include Essie Apricot Cuticle Oil and The Sanctuary Nail and Cuticle Oil. 

After this procedure, which usually takes around 10 minutes, I then pop some socks on and wait for all the oils and foot cream to absorb     

Hope you enjoyed this post! Do you ever give yourself pedicures? What do you use?