Barry M - Halloween Gradient Graveyards

I can't wait for halloween this year, I'm really looking forward to having the house decorated for our halloween party next week, and I'm already counting down. Last year I didn't really get the chance to celebrate halloween, so I'm planning on going all out this year, and that means getting my nails ready for the occasion. Luckily, Barry M asked me to create some halloween tutorials for them, so I've got quite a few designs to show you before the big day!

First up is this gradient gravestone look. I won't pretend it's not a design that hasn't been done a million times, but I like to think there's a reason it's done so often. It's such a typical halloween look, but I love it. 

The Illustrated Nail Inspired - Direct Line Signature Styles

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Hey everyone! Today I've got a really exciting post for you. I've teamed up with Direct Line For Business to promote their new Signature Styles campaign* with The Illustrated Nail, aka Sophie Harris-Greenslade. This campaign is to launch Direct Line's new Health and Beauty insurance proposition, and it includes three videos with influencers in the industry (including Sophie's which you can see after the jump). Sophie created her 'signature style' to reflect the personalisation of Direct Line for Business' ability to create a policy that's just right for your business. You only pay for the cover that your business needs. 

 I loved the sound of this campaign, as I believe all bloggers have a 'signature style'. I believe mine to be my style of photos, but also the cartoony nature of my designs (do you agree?). The Illustrated Nail has definitely got a 'signature style' and I knew that I wanted to do some nails inspired by her to promote the campaign. I've done nails inspired by her before, and as Sophie is known for florals and block colours, I decided this time I'd go for block colours having previously attempted her perfect florals. Although it was hard to pick one design, I was inspired by these nails. 

Jamberry x One Nail To Rule Them All Video

Hey everyone! Hope you're all having a good week so far. I've spent my evening watching Great British Bake Off. I only started watching it a couple of years ago because I couldn't understand the hype at first but I'm well and truly hooked. Who knew cake could be so dramatic?

You may remember my review of Jamberry nail wraps from the beginning of last month, where I discussed that they had asked me to work with them on a new project, but I had been very sceptical without trying the products. As I mentioned then, I was well aware of the rep surrounding Jamberry and I didn't want to get involved with something 'dodgy'. However, once I tried the wraps and spoke to some of the consultants I realised for myself that the actions of a few have tarnished the brand for many. I would never endorse a brand that I wasn't comfortable working with (you should see the amount of emails I turn down), and it was important to me that I tried the products first to know if I wanted to work together. I know that their methods of selling may not to be to everyone's taste, but the products themselves are, in my opinion, worth raving about, and I decided to go ahead with the project.

Anyway, today I can finally tell you about that project: I was filming a video with Jamberry! They wanted me to talk through the process of applying the wraps, current trends and a few other bits too. The video is after the jump but you can also see it here. It's never very fun seeing yourself on camera and I must admit it doesn't really look like me (I am the palest person in the world and video-me looks a lot more tanned), but I'm happy with how it turned out. Jamberry made me feel very welcome whilst shooting, and it was a great experience. I'd also like to give a special shout out to the cameraman Tom Gates from Don't Shoot Yourself Media. He was the loveliest guy ever and made me feel completely at ease in something that I'd never really done and didn't feel 100% comfortable with. He didn't ask for me to mention him but I feel like I couldn't leave him out as he was so nice! And thankyou of course to Jamberry too for having me.

Jamberry Nail Wraps Review

Hey everyone! I've got something a little different to share with you today, in the shape of a review some of you may be sceptical of. Jamberry wraps have been on my radar for quite a long time, I was aware of them when they were mainly in the US, but recently they expanded to the UK and so they became a bit closer on my radar. I was approached by a number of reps to review the products, but I wasn't interested. I'm sure you've all heard the rumours, that their wraps ruin your nails, that they're not very good quality, and that their reps can be exceptionally pushy. Recently I was asked to host an event, and I was later told that this would be for Jamberry. I was left with a bit of dilemma, as I had been excited to host the event, but I'd also heard negative things about the brand. So I decided to bite the bullet and try the wraps for myself first. Why write them off before I'd even given them a chance? I decided that if I liked them, I'd do the event, and if I didn't, then I wouldn't, that way I wouldn't be supporting a brand that I didn't like or agree with.

I received a number of wraps* to try out, plus their mini heater*, application kit*, deluxe tool kit* and their cuticle oil pen*. I hadn't realised they did so many products, I thought it was just wraps and nothing else, but they've actually got some great tools too. For those who aren't aware, Jamberry wraps are heat activated. This works with a hair dryer, but their mini heater makes things that little bit easier, and I was definitely thankful for it in the end. (Full review after the jump)

Tweexy Nail Polish Holders

Hey everyone! I'm glad to be able to sit down and concentrate, I've been doing a charity fast today for work and I've never been so hungry, and I've really struggled to concentrate today. I have so much more respect for those who do Ramadan now, I couldn't do it for a whole month, a day was hard enough! But I did it, I wasn't expecting to but I did and I'm pretty proud of myself, because all I do is eat usually. 

Today's post is about Tweexy* nail polish holders, designed to keep your polish bottle in place and make it easy to access whilst you paint your nails. Tweexy* is the original nail polish holder, and whilst there have been many copycats since, their design was perfected over two years to fit all bottles and fingers, and is guaranteed for 10 years. So whilst they may seem a little bit pricier than their copycats, it's because they're of a much higher quality. Full post after the jump

Tweexy* is designed to fit every nail bottle shape. I tried it with multiple different shapes and sizes and they all fit and stayed in place. You can also move your fingers without fear of the bottle falling out as the rubber grips the bottle.

I decided the best way to show you my thoughts would be do a pros and cons of Tweexy holders:

Pros:

- Stays steady whilst you paint your nails

- Doesn't pop out/stays very stable in the holder

- Ideal for people who paint their nails with their hand steady

- Adjusters on the side so you can simply lift away without smudging your nails

- Easy access to the nail polish

Cons:

- I felt like I was breathing in the polish a lot more because it was closer to my face (I get very close to my nails when I'm painting them)

- I usually hold my hand in ridiculous ways when I paint my nails so I found it hard to paint them neatly. However, this is just a matter of personal preference so for many people this wouldn't be a problem

Overall the only cons were really down to my own personal weird ways of painting my nails, rather than any issues with the product itself, so I was pretty impressed.

I decided to test it with Orly - Road Trippin* because I liked how the bright yellow contrasted with the turquoise, but also because Orly bottles are quite large and I wanted to test whether it held it, which it did.

I also created a boomerang video of me wearing my Tweexy which I'll be posting on my Instagram.

You can find Tweexy on Amazon for £14.95 + Free Postage

What do you think? Do you want to try out, or have you already tried out, Tweexy? Let me know in the comments!

Alice

*The products in this post were provided to me for review but all opinions are entirely my own and were not influenced in any way

My Favourite Nail Polish Colour?

I'll give you three guesses what my favourite nail polish colour is. Hint: look at the picture! Whilst you might see a lot of pink now and again, light blue is definitely a firm favourite. I love it as a base for nail art, as the picture below demonstrates, but I also love to use it in nail art too. Calibre Furniture* recently wrote to me and asked me what my favourite colour was, and I knew without hesitation. Colour is so important in art, and light blue has always been my favourite right from the start. In fact, a couple of months ago I realised there hadn't been any blue nails on my blog for a couple of weeks, what was the next post once I realised? Blue nails of course, even my logo is blue! (Although I change it for individual pictures, it's originally blue). Calibre have also created a graphic all about the psychology of colour, I found it an interesting read so I've attached it after the jump (it also includes a quote from me). I don't know what light blue design I'll create next, but I'm sure there will be many! 

Outlined Flowers for Barry M

Hey everyone! I've had the busiest weekend ever and a long monday so this is probably going to be a short post, but I didn't want to not post for a full week so I thought you'd catch you up. I moved house! Or rather me and my boyfriend did. We've got our first house together, which is exciting but I'm so sick of the sight of flatpack furniture. We both lived with our parents previously so we had no furniture whatsoever and everything has been built from scratch this weekend. Whilst most of it is built we're completely living out of bags right now. 

These nails are some that I created for Barry M using their nail art pens and colours. I have so many designs and reviews to show you but nothing is edited and I definitely don't have time to sort them right now, but once I do I'll try and post more regularly. I also got some exciting news today that I've been shortlisted for Best UK Nail Blog in the Scratch Stars Awards 2016 which I'm very proud of! I'll make sure that I'm worthy of the title once I have unpacked and I have time to sit and edit.

Flower Foxes for Barry M

Hey everyone, Happy March! I'm hoping that spring comes sooner rather than later because I'm so sick of all this cold weather, I feel like I never really warm up anymore. Today I want to share a design with you that I was super proud of, I wore these for over a week and I must (shamefully) admit that I was throwing them under peoples noses. I think they were the kind of design that looked better in person because photos show up imperfections that weren't necessarily visible, but hopefully you still like them. These were half inspired by a bag I saw in a gift shop, and half inspired by just1nail (she gave me the idea to add florals to a fox design). I created these using all Barry M polishes, and as always they were flawless. See below for a full list of products used.

Barry M Autumn Glitter Leaves

Hey everyone! It's been so long since I created these nails that I'd completely forgotten I did them. I did them last Autumn, but Autumn had finished by the time I got around to thinking about posting them and it was too late. So instead I thought I'd save them for this year, and luckily I remembered before it was too late this year. I created these for Barry M using their Autumn 2014 Gelly collection, and a full tutorial is after the jump.

Hello! for Avon

Hey everyone! (Or hello! if I want to match the nails). Today I've got a really simple design to show you that I've always uhm'd and ah'd about posting.  I created these for Avon in November last year and despite the fact they're neat and colourful, I've never been quite sure of them. But the more I've scrolled past them the more I've realised it's time to post them. I also dont really post that many designs with text so I thought it would make a nice change. 

Side Florals for Divine Caroline

Hey everyone! I'm absolutely exhausted, I have been all day but for some reason I'm still awake past midnight as always. It's so easy to get distracted and recently I've started to watch Spooks from the very beginning and I'm completely hooked (and distracted), which isn't good in the middle of exams! I'm trying to push myself away from it until my last exam is over but I also wanted a day off today so I'm re-hooked. Anyway, onto the nails. These are some cute spring florals I created for Divine Caroline, I also did a tutorial for them if you want to check that out. I love how these look, I think they're effective but simple and I think I'll probably try them with different colours some other time. The flowers themselves are quite similar to my french florals from the other day, I seem to be following a theme with my flowers recently!

What do you think? Let me know in the comments!

Alice

Orange Pastel Paisley with River Island

Hey everyone! Today I have something a little different to show you. I've come together with River Island to do some nails based on their new Spring/Summer pastel collections. It's been a while since I tried any paisley. I wish that I'd done the detailing in a lighter colour to keep with the pastel theme, but at the same time I like how they came out. My inspiration for these nails and information on how to create them is after the jump!

Tutorial Tuesday: Mod Flowers for Avon

Hey everyone! I had such a lovely weekend away, me and my boyfriend went to Chester for the weekend and went to the zoo. Not everyone's ideal weekend but perfect for us, I'm sad to have to come back and accept that the next few weeks are just going to be a slog of dissertation work. I'm on the final push now, despite a mini-breakdown last week, so fingers crossed that it all goes to plan. Today's nails are these simple mod flowers. I've been surprised at how many comments I've got on these in the past couple of days of wearing them, I didn't think they were that interesting but it appears that they stand out a lot more than I thought! I've also done a tutorial for you all so you can create these yourself

Clock Nail Art for Avon

Hey everyone! It's a been a busy week for me, yesterday I spent the day at Nail Harmony UK's base (who run Gelish for those of you that dont know), and I had such a fantastic time, and met some lovely new bloggers who I hadn't met before, along with Lucy (Lucy's Stash) and Sammy (The Nailasaurus) who I know pretty well! I'll have a post coming for you in the next few days but for now I just quickly wanted to show you these clock nails that I created for Avon. I created these for when the clocks changed but I actually think they work quite well as a design in general, they're not time-specific (GETTIT?). For these I used a variety of Avon nail polish colours as the bases, and then acrylic paint for the clocks.

What do you think? Let me know in the comments!

Alice

Tutorial Tuesday: Dracula for Beauty at Tesco

Hey everyone! Yet another tutorial for you today, I asked in my giveaway a few weeks ago what you all wanted more of and you said tutorials, so I'm currently spamming you with them. Today's tutorial is in collaboration with Beauty at Tesco, and is done using products all available in their range. As halloween is only a few days away I thought it was about time I whacked out some halloween designs. I always struggle to come up with anything original at halloween so after a bit of thinking I decided to do a peeking Dracula design. However I forgot of course that Dracula isn't Dracula without his fangs, which aren't on the nail, so if you would prefer to have the fangs in you can always have the face higher up the nail. 

If you want to see the steps, head over to their Instagram here.

You can follow Beauty at Tesco on Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter, and visit their website here, and blog here.

What do you think? Let me know in the comments!

Alice

Tutorial: Autumn Birds for Barry M

Hey everyone! I hope you've all had a good week! I'm hoping next week will be a bit better for me. You may or may not have noticed but I decided to take a few days break from blogging, it's not been too long but things were getting a bit on top of me so I thought a few days break might do me good, I haven't even turned my laptop on for 3 days, which for me is a very weird occurrence. Now I feel ready to get back in to blogging, I'm going to try and post a lot more as I have a huge backlog of posts to show you. 

Today's post is another tutorial I created for Barry M, my last design was this toadstool design and you all seemed to love it, so hopefully you like this one just as much! I absolutely love birds, and I knew I wanted to incorporate them into a tutorial at some point, I still get requests to do a tutorial for my Rob Ryan bird nails, but for now this shall have to do! Tutorial steps will be after the jump

Fruit Nail Art for Avon

Hey everyone. It's been a busy week for me, with the Cosmo blog awards on Tuesday, and my trip to Fosse Park in Leicester yesterday, I'll be posting about both in the next couple of days, but it's been over a week since I posted my own nails on here, so I think it's about time I show you some nail art! I created this fruit nail art for Avon a couple of weeks ago, and if I'm honest I was expecting it to turn out to be a bit of a failure, especially the kiwis. Last time I attempted kiwis a few years ago they were just a big mushy mess, so I'm glad to see my skills have improved at least a bit since then!

Ciate x Vente Privee Sale - Floral Nail Art

Hey everyone! Today I have some more nail art brought to you by Ciate and Vente Privee, you can see my last design (which explains who Vente Privee are if you're not sure!) from a few months ago here. The sale started on Wednesday at 6am and it's a limited time flash sale, finishing on monday. It is for members only but it's super easy to become a member, just click here and fill in the details and you're done! There are some fantastic discounts available, for instance the Beach House Set* that I used to create this design normally retails for £22, but you can get it for just £8 in the sale! There's also other gift sets on sale, and colours on their own too, it's definitely worth having a look at if you really love a bargain (and who doesn't?), you can see the full sale here.

Tutorial Thursday: Matte Autumn Toadstools Nail Art for Barry M

Hey everyone! This was supposed to go live last night but for some reason it didn't work, so even though it's technically friday, here's my tutorial thursday. Today I'm showing you how to do these cute toadstool nails, as I said before in my review of the autumn Barry Ms this whole collection is great for autumn nail art, and straight away the idea of doing toadstools came to mind.

Tutorial Tuesday: Polka Dot Owls for Divine Caroline

Hey everyone! I have a brand new tutorial for you over at Divine Caroline today which you can see HERE. My obsession with owls and polka dots continues as you can see, but this time it's a little different because I haven't got a nude background, which I usually seem to have when owls are involved. I really love how these turned out and I hope you like trying them out yourselves!

Don't forget to check out the steps HERE. 

What do you think? Let me know in the comments!

Alice