#NOTD As festive as I'm going to get. Barry M Magnetic Nail Polish

What could be more festive than nail polish the colour of a glittering Christmas Tree? I'm not very good at detail so on my quest for ultimate nail art nirvana I am testing out magnetic nail polishes.

348 Magnetic Green Sparkle£4.99 from BarryM.com

 I think it is a fairly festive colour. (I really am not one for precision and detail, I have neither the time or the patience).

ALWAYS USE A BASE.

I had a nightmare once with green nail varnish. It stained my nails and made me look as if I was moldy. The horrors of getting it off will scar me for life.

I always opt for Nails Inc Hyde Park Base Coat. £12. (Buy it here).

The next step is to layer a thick coat of the varnish and allow it to dry completely.

One thick coat allowed to dry completely.

If you don't let it dry properly then air bubbles start to form and the effect won't work properly. 

Then coat the nail with another thick layer of varnish. IMMEDIATELY hold the magnet over the polish for at least 10 seconds. The lid has a nifty little groove to place your finger in, but be careful not to press to hard as the polish smudges all over the lid. Yes, I am that clumsy.

I have left this photo unfiltered to see how evergreen the colour actually is.I am impressed with the polish, it is fairly thick and dries quickly so I didn't have to wait for too long. 

Set the pattern with a layer of your favourite topcoat and the end result is very effective, I am tempted to get the other colours to mix and match the magnetic pattern, but first I shall wow a lot at the thriftiness of this boutique effect.

How festive are your nails?

Thrifty Beauty Haul

So, I won ten pounds on a Christmas scratchcard. Nope I'm not feeling festive either, not yet anyway. I thought how I could spend this free ten pounds, and I chose to make good of the offers forced upon us because it is December, not Christmas just December. 

Organix Renewing Morrocan Argan Oil Shampoo £1.99

Barry M Bold Gold Waterproof Eyeliner £3.99

Barry M Nail Paint 352 Pink Sapphire Glitter £3.99

Barry M Nail Paint Boots Xmas Special

Rimmel Scandaleyes Waterproof Kohl 012-Bronze  £3.99

Rimmel Scandaleyes Waterproof Kohl 001 Black £3.99

Rimmel Precious Stones High Coverage Nail Polish 002 Ruby Crush

HAUL ON! 

Hopefully this will soothe my unruly hair. I have read lots about the Organix range and their packaging is a staple for shampoo shelves. I thought I would take the plunge, and in keeping with my  strict sachet training I am going to make this travel sized bottle last. I can't be doing with drowning my hair in product, it's just far too fine.

It's so darn dry, the cold isn't helping.

See how dry my fringe is? That is the healthiest part of my hair, it gets a trim EVERY DAMN MONTH. Perhaps I am asking a lot, but we shall see.

My headphones were firmly in my ears. Beethoven Was Deaf being the album du jour I marched in to Superdrug to reap the rewards of their 3 for 2 offer and bought these for a scandalous seven pounds and ninety eight pence. Waterproof eyeliners are a winner in this weather with my eyes running from the cold. The red polish will do for the Christmas season nicely thank you very much!

Well we shall talk about the Bold Gold later but I cannot wait to try these eyeliners. They feel so luxurious and are heavy in pigment so you get a lovely bold colour. I have swatched them for you. 

I think the black will take a bit of colouring in, luckily I have plenty of Rimmel's waterproof gel eyeliner to hand in case it does not fit the job.

Scandaleyes : always a sucker for a witty name.

Rimmel London Precious Stones 002 Ruby Crush.

Now I am not generally a fan of silverish glitter shades, I much prefer gold flecks. Anyhow I was intrigued by this polish, quite pleased with the coverage it gives. THIS IS NOT GLITTER SUSPENDED IN CLEAR POLISH. It is the other way around or something?

What do Barry M do best? Nail Paint. Look at this lovely high glitter count that I got free after spending six pounds on Barry M cosmetics.

It is all about the high glitter/holographic look this season I figure, so I am right in there!

[Obligatory arty splash]

So what did I spend my six pounds on to benefit from such a lovely offer? I only went and got a Barry M Bold Gold waterproof eyeliner to match my party dress. That way I can sob all the way through the Queen's speech and no one will notice.

Not really. What a vulgar picture I painted for you there. Crying over a speech. No way.

IT IS LIKE TINSEL IN A BOTTLE, 'NUFF SAID.

To top the whole lot off I went back to Superdrug and spent one hundred pennies on a MUA eyeshadow. 

Personally I think it will suit my ultimate Christmas dress. I have seen such a beauty and one day, oh one day it will be mine. Let's see this eyeshowdow in its glory...

These have been recommended, as long as a good primer or base is used it gives a heavy and silky coverage. I can't wait to try all these products and see how they fare. 

Have you got your party look sorted? I'd love to see your party look preparation so feel free to leave me links and comments! 

So I spent a whole £15 and got my haul on. Lets see yours!

Nail Wraps for the National Front Disco

One of my pet hates is painting my toe nails. They all seem to squish up against each other so I end up with painted toes rather than nails. I would do anything to have them done in an instant. I'm so clumsy that I generally steer well clear of nail art that requires precision; the one hand will look fine, well the other? We'd best not mention that.

Nail art is a trend that sooner or later you just have to try. Colour changing nail polish, magnetic patterning polish, holographic, heavy duty glitter, safe to say there is much more than your average UV top coat that was scientific feat way back in the '90s. They even sell nail wraps in Primark now. Encouraged by my last experience: MUA's Nail Constellation in scorpio I gave some cheap glittery nail wraps a try.

When I bought them I found I had to wade through big piles of patriotic union flag nail stickers and foils. There has been a very specific trend that glued itself to the country's nails for two whole weeks this year; the one where everyone, I MEAN EVERYONE tried to paint a union flag on one, if not all of their nails! I just wore the earrings and a tee shirt I thought revolutionary in 2004. 

Anyway. I tried nail wraps and they worked! All you need to do is choose the right size, possibly shape too. Most seemed to fit my nails nicely even if I did have to jump two spaces on the nail scale leaving me with the thought that my feet are really strange. After that you fold the excess wrap over and file downwards until the nail peeps through. It makes the wrap perforate and separate from the nail easily. Seal it with a top coat 'for a longer lasting effect' or in my case to stop me peeling off the sticker that it really is!

Despite the weird toes I think it is quite a good effect. No painful toe separators needed, just a little bit of patience and a nail file. Now I know I'm no expert but I could do them!

WE ALL KNOW I LOVE A BIT OF GLITTERING GOLD LEOPARD PRINT.

I'm saving my finger nails for a treat with a matte top coat tomorrow, but that's for another time.

Have you tried anything new? You should, you could surprise yourself!

Scorpio Rising?

MUA's Nail Constellation - Scorpio

 Nail art is so popular these days. I remember not so long ago begging Sally Hansen via the medium of twitter to release their nail foils in the UK. Now you can even buy them in Primark for under a pound. So like me to be late to the party, I've totally skipped over half moon manicures and am heading to space with MUA's nail constellation.

I have bought the Scorpio colour scheme. (Someone once described me as having a bauble of every cololur on my Christmas Tree.) This seemed to be the most fitting for me. So I sat down to do my manicure, totally wary of the mess it was going to make but also a little excited by the thought of childishly playing with glue and glitter.

Firstly, I went through the usual routine of coating my nails in a strengthening base coat. One painful lesson I learned after an experience with stained nails and bleach is to  ALWAYS USE A BASE. I painted my nails with a generic pinky-purple colour first because I am always destined to miss a spot. Shaking the little pot felt a bit like shaking a full and stuck ketchup bottle. I mean you really have to do it with quite some force.

I was expecting the tiny little balls (which you are essentially gluing to your nails) to go everywhere. It was a stroke of genius to do to it in the lego box lid that my 'bling pallette' is kept in. Although next time I think I shall line it with a piece of card for even easier use.

Once I'd got the hang of squeezing the mini-blings on to the nail I had obviously spilled a load too. So I dipped my nails into the pool of glittery balls. Initially I was thinking of doing only one finger on each hand but I got carried away with the play.

Now I am not the greatest nail artist, but it was a relatively easy and fun way of making my nails blingin' bruv. The purple, gold, lilac and green baubles are supposed to resemble a 'constellation of stars' and it pretty much does. Every shake produces a unique pattern on the nails. Then you press them into the layer of tacky nail polish, not forgetting to set with lashings of clear top coat. I'm not even going to give thought to the ordeal that getting them off will be.

This product is alarmingly cheap, so I'll perfect the shiny mini blings look by the Strictly Final! You can buy this product from superdrug at a verrrrry reasonable three pounds.

I'm so tempted to go back in and take advantage of Superdrug's wonderful 3 for 2 cosmetics offer and try some more MUA polishes. 

On the plus side I feel like my nails wouldn't go amiss on the Strictly Come Dancing dancefloor. My nails are extremely blingy without lots of mess. Add to the bling with an item from my wishlist! My ultimate phone case.. Oooooh magpie, MAGPIE!

Stop me, oh, stop me....................