This year Christmas Jumpers have been everywhere and whether your an avid Christmas Sweater fan or you just can't stand them, I have four festive sweater outfit ideas that will have you covered this Winter!
LOOK 1 - Casual Saturday
Why not try teaming your Christmas Jumper with a pair of leggings and Converse to pull of a more casual festive look.
Jumper - Dorothy Perkins
Top Underneath - Abercrombie and Fitch
Leggings - Zara
Plimsolls - Converse
LOOK 2 - Christmas Day
Christmas Sweaters don't have to be cheesy, I found this beautiful one from H&M for only £15, that works perfectly with some cosy socks, comfortable slippers and a red lip, for an all together festive Christmas Day look.
Jumper - Dorothy Perkins
Camisole Underneath - Abercrombie and Fitch Leggings - River Island Socks - River Island Slippers - Primark
LOOK 3 - Christmas Shopping
Now if your really not into any kind of Christmas Jumper, then there's plenty out there to keep you warm and cosy with a subtle touch of embellishment without a bell or reindeer in sight! Try H&M, Next, Dorothy Perkins and M&S.
Jumper - H&M
Camisole Underneath - River Island Black Jeans - M&S Boots - Zara
LOOK 4 - Date Night Vibes
Lastly look out for jumpers with a sprinkle of wearable sparkle, that can be just as festive teamed with heels and a statement necklace.
Top 10 Christmas Gift Ideas for Nail Polish Lovers
I hope everyone's Christmas shopping is going well, I'm nearly there but as always without fail I end up needing some last minute gifts for people. So today I thought I would share with you my Top 10 Nail Polish Christmas Gift Ideas if your in need too of a last minute gift idea for a secret Santa, teacher, friend, nan, sister, mum or any nail polish lover you know out there, happy shopping!
Topshop Christmas Mini Nail Polish Pyramid in Ghost
First up is hanging nail polish decorations, I have seen a ton of these this year and they really are a lovely idea for anyone, as they are both affordable and look beautiful on the tree as a little surprise gift on Christmas morning.
1. Christmas Mini Nail Pyramid in Ghost £5 - Topshop
2. Tanya Burr Sugar Plum Nail Polish & Nail Art Set £5 - FeelUnique.com or Superdrug (In Store)
3. O.P.I Comic Couple £14.50 - Sally (In Store)
Tanya Burr Cosmetics Sugar Plum Nail Polish and Nail Art
I also think these gifts are the perfect size for presents for Secret Santa's, Teachers or for one of your girlfriends if you usually buy each other a gift, but your on a budget.
O.P.I Cosmic Couple including, Is this Star Taken? and OPI Red
China Glaze Mini Mixers in L-R, I Soiree I Didn't Do It, Mix and Mingle, Better Not Pout, Son of a Nutcracker, Peppermint To Be and Don't Get Me Elfed Up
Mini Nail Polish colour collections are another great idea if you have lots of friends to buy for or you know someone who likes to travel. These are perfect to split up and put in little Christmas Hampers for friends or to give to people who like to travel frequently, as they are a fantastic size to pop in your suitcase for touch ups.
4. China Glaze Mini Mixers Pack £14.99 - Sally Online or In Store
5. O.P.I All Star Mini's Starlight Collection £14.50 - O.P.I, Sally or John Lewis
6. Morgan Taylor Gifted with Style £14.99 - Sally Online or In Store
O.P.I All Stars 4 Pack from the Starlight Collection in L-R, Love is in my Cards, Guys & Galaxies, Is This Star Taken? and Press * For Silver
Morgan Taylor Gifted with Style in L-R, Ruby Two-Shoes, I'm So Hot, Tinsel My Fancy and Gifted in Platinum
Models Own Diamond Luxe Nail Polish Collection in L-R, Asscher Blue, Radiant Pink, Trillion Taupe and Carat Coral
Apart from the Tanya Burr gift, this was the only other nail art related Christmas gift set I could find. Models Own is a fantastic drugstore nail brand which caters for the fashion forward individual who likes to experiment with colour. This kit from Superdrug is not only fantastic value for money at £3! it's got four of their Diamond Luxe shades included, as well as a handy cuticle pusher and gold nail art tape. This is seriously a winner in my books if your truly on a budget this Christmas.
7. Models Own Diamond Luxe Nail Polish Collection £3 - Superdrug (In Store Only)
O.P.I The Star Treatment including L-R, Rapidry Quick-Dry Top Coat, Original Nail Envy, Chip Skip and Dripdry
Lastly I have some nail treatment gift ideas. These are ideal for either a nail polish lover who has everything or maybe someone who's not into nails or nail colour but likes to take care of their hands and nails. It's even wonderful for someone who is just getting started with nail polish and doesn't know where to begin with regards to the nail care basics.
8. O.P.I The Star Treatment £19.95, but this is on offer at the moment for £11.95 - OPIUK.com
9. O.P.I The Planet Smooth Avojuice Hand & Body Lotion Set £11.55 - Sally (In Store) or OPIUK.com 10. O.P.I Strength in the Pair Nail Envy Duo £29.50 - OPIUK.com but John Lewis currently have this for £25.08
O.P.I Planet Smooth Avojuice Hand & Body Lotion in L-R, Jasmine, Sweet Lemon Sage, Vanilla Lavender, Spiced Persimmon, Coconut Lemon and Cran & Berry
O.P.I Strength is in the Pair in L-R Original Nail Envy and Nail Envy Strength and Color in Bubble Bath
It's nearly that time of the year, where we can let our hair down and get our party shoes on! December is my favourite month as not only is it festive, it's the month where it's acceptable to wear a bit of glitter, go all out with a smokey eye or rock a festive red lip.
I wanted to share with you a few of my favourite easy go to looks for the party season, so here's Look No1. What's your favourite make-up item to use over the festive period?
Products used:
1. Urban Decay Primer Potion
2. Benefit Porefessional
3. NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Black Bean blended out all over the lid and crease.
4. Bare Minerals Eye Color in Rock Star packed on all over the lid.
5. Laura Gellar Mystic Sea Eye Rimz foiled with fix plus and patted over the Bare Minerals Shadow.
6. MAC Dazzlelight in the inner corners of the eyes.
7. Revlon Colorstay Foundation in Sand Beige
8. Urban Decay Naked Concealer in Light Warm
9. Rimmel Stay Matte Powder
10. Bourjois Chocolate Bronzing Powder
11. Benefit Hervana Blusher
12. Becca Jaclyn Hill Champagne Pop to highlight
13. Anastasia Beverly Hills DipBrow Pomade in Soft Brown
14. Soap and Glory Archery in Hot Chocolate
15. MAC Wedge Shadow for Brows
16. MAC Clear Brow Gel
17. Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Black Velvet in the upper and lower waterline.
18. Benefit They're Real Mascara in Black.
19. MAC Lip Pencil in Naked Liner
20. MAC Lipstick in Hue
If the thought of Nail Art seems exciting but daunting at the same time, then I've come up with the perfect Nail Art Guide for beginners for any nail lover out there! Anyone can achieve nail art with easy cheat tools and accessories to make you look like your nail art pro!
These four festive nail looks are versatile for any time of the year, I hope this helps some of you out when attempting something out of your comfort zone!
Happy Holidays!
Snowflake Sticker Nail Art
- Base Coat - O.P.I Nail Envy
- Blue Glitter Nail Polish- Morgan Taylor Regal as a Royal
- Nail Stickers - Candy Cane from Sallys http://www.sallyexpress.com/beauty-secrets-candy-cane-nail-stickers/
- Tweezers
- Top Coat - Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat
- Base Coat
- Red Nail Polish - Ciate Boudoir
- Green Glitter Polish - Barry M Christmas Tree
- Makeup Sponge Wedges (Cut in Half)
- Top Coat
Sweater Weather Fashion Nails
- Fashion False Nails - Sweater Design - Primark but you can also find patterned false nails form any good drugstore.
- Cuticle Stick
- Nail Glue (Should be included with your nails)
- Scissors
- Nail File
If you followed my Ciate Mini Mani Month from last year then you'll be familiar with this extra ordinary Advent Calendar full of Nail Polish! This is the perfect Christmas Countdown for any Nail Polish lover, but if your like me and £49 seems like a daunting amount of money to part with, which is what this retails for, then I found this at an amazing super bargain price if your prepared to wait seven days.
Being a total nail addict, I really enjoyed opening up this calendar each day last year, but unfortunately the affordability factor was not in my favour this year, until I found this for half the price while browsing around TK Maxx on Sunday, I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw this £49 Advent Calendar for £24.99 and I wanted to share this amazing price with you as there's still time to pick it up! I also discovered last years #minimanimonth and the year before that for half the price too, so there is plenty to choose from and they had a fair few in stock!
If this all still seems too expensive you can always check out my DIY Advent Calendar on my channel below.
I will be posting every day on my Instagram and Twitter when each window is opened and swatches will follow, then I will review this years #minimanimanor at the end of the month, so keep up to date by following me on my Instagram and Twitter.
This retails for £49 for 22 5ml mini Nail Polishes and Nail Art plus one full size 13.5ml polish and a set of nail decals, for me this is a fairly expensive Advent Calendar compared to your average chocolate one! But if your a girl on a budget and a nail polish junkie then there is a few ways to get this at a more savvy price tag.
- QVCUK is where I got last years calendar and this does work out a little cheaper and is released in November so keep a look out for this.
- If your wanting a super bargain then you can pick this up in January and then save it for December as Ciate heavily discount their advent calendars in January.
- Or you could do what I did and wait a little after the 1st December and be lucky enough to find this in TK Maxx for £25!
Packaging
Every year this is packaged beautifully and this year the theme was Mini Mani Manor so the advent box was beautifully painted like a mini manor house, but I have to admit the colours on the box didn't make it feel as festive as the 2013 edition.
Application
Most of the colours applied with ease, the brush was a nice size for application, the only colour which wasn't so impressive was Mineral Positivity this was a beautiful colour but had an odd grainy consistency which made the finish look lumpy and uneven.
The glitter, pearls and transfers came with straightforward instructions on how to apply which made these fairly easy to use, but they are a more temporary 1-2 days wear period.
Overall Thoughts
Overall for me this was a really impressive, beautifully packaged Advent Calendar with an amazing variety of colours and finishes to satisfy any Nail Hoarders obsession! I actually preferred the Nail Polishes included this year, there was a lot more selection for everyone, the colours where more lively and made each day exciting to open. Members Only and Amazing Gracie where the only two colours which where featured in the 2013 edition.
The only thing for me was the price, but this doesn't have to be an issue if you choose one of the options and I mentioned. And the packaging was a little less festive for the time of year but I think that's just personal preference.
I award the Ciate Mini Mani Manor Advent Calendar 2014
