Nails | Chanel Inspired Black Glitter Mani

I've always absolutely loved doing my nails, I'm a complete polish addict and even has a filing system due to the amount of polishes I own! I'm always on the lookout for new brands, colours, textures - anything. Recently, I've been seeing some fantastic nail inspiration around on tumblr and instagram and decided to do a little inspired post of my own.

These nails were inspired by Chanel packaging. Chanel has a very sleek black design, everything is very clean and simple, yet the brand itself stands for luxury which can be symbolised by a gorgeous glittery polish! 

I tend to find that black polish looks to harsh on me, as I'm necessarily olive toned when it comes to my skin. However, adding this bit of sparkle has really helped to soften the polish and I love the glamour that it gives to the simple black.

Although I used a Matte Black polish, I didn't really like the effect of the matte and glitter combination. But that was nothing that a glossy OPI topcoat couldn't sort out!

I actually added a glitter stripe to the plain black nail a little later as I thought it looked too bare!

Let me know if you like my nail posts, I am quite keen to do some more!

All my love,

CJ.

Estee' Lauder | Super Sparkly Champagne Pink Nails

Hey Luxies, 

I have been loving sparkles and glitter recently and decided to do another nail post! This time on a very girly, elegant nail! I absolutely love dusky pink nail colours, they are so easy to wear and go with almost ANY skin tone. A light colour can often be a lot easier to pull off as the rough edges and smudges/chips don't show up as easily! They also go with most outfits as the colour is usually not bold enough to clash to heavily.  

I started off just by making sure my nails were clean of any polish, buffed and filed! 

 The OPI Top and Base coats are my go to when it comes to those finishing touches for my nails. They are a staple in anyone's nail collection. They are long-lasting, dry fast and help to make my polish last longer! 

  I decided to use my new Estee Lauder polish in 02 Pink Thrill. Its a really beautiful pearlescent pink with slight blue undertones to give it a lovely shimmer. Not only is the colour gorgeous, but the bottle itself has such simple yet effective qualities. Its cube shape and elegant gold lettering is just too cute! I knew that the colour was going to be quite iridescent and sheer when applying the first coat, so I did two!

I paired this colour with one of my all time favourite glitter polishes from Barry M - Rose Quartz Glitter. It is such a lovely multi-glitter polish, combining think pastel pink glitter with small pink iridescent glitter dust. It gives a great multi-tonal effect, with the light constantly catching the glitter flakes! I just love it!

I love the finish look, it is really elegant and super glittery, especially in the light! The only thing I find with glitter polishes is they tend to chips quicker because of the uneven texture, but it's worth it for all the sparkle!

Do you have a favorite glitter polish?? Let me know!

All my love,

CJ.

Hair Chalk Revival

Hey Luxies,

Sorry for the lack of posts, i've just got back to uni and had to work out some kind of plan as to when to post and when to fit in uni work e.t.c but I think I have come up with a pretty sustainable plan to make sure I keep posting regularly! 

Today's post is on hair chalk! I know what you are thinking ..... 'hasn't that phase been and passed?'.... and to that I would answer no. Here is the hair chalk revival. 

Hair chalking has been shown on tutorials on youtube and on blogs as a fun, easy and non-permenant way to add some colour to those lush locks! Hair chalking has now been adopted by the brands of haircare and recently L'oreal has launched their own hair chalk products along with some pretty fun style ideas too.

As much as I would love to spend £15.00 on some temporary hair colour from L'oreal, I just can't justify it , now would I be able to choose which colour! So I went on to the best place i knew - ebay - and searched for a cheap alternative to find these beauties.

LOOK AT ALL THE COLOURS (46 to be exact) ! They are so beautiful and vibrant and what's more is they stay this pigmented in your hair! The colours worked really well, they transferred to the hairs beautifully and were so easy to use. The chalks were only £14.99 The added bonus was that postage and packaging was free and they were delivered pretty fast, in just 3 days!

Hair has to be wet before the chalk is applied. Hair works best if twisted when being coloured.

I just did the tips, but you can do lots of different variations.

Looks like I am making Dreadlocks haha!

There was however a slight problem, it's been 5 washes now and the colour still has not come out of my hair. I have tried shampooing twice, using extreme amounts of conditioner and showering several times a day. But still I am left with a faded pink dip-dye. While it doesn't look awful, it's not the best look i've ever pulled off. 

After several washes it is still bright!

These chalks are great value for money, and the colour selection is fab. I guess the long lasting colour can be seen as either a negative or a positive depending on what you're looking for from this product.

All my love,

CJ.

The Perfect Shade of Red?

Hey Luxies,

So today I have the PERFECT shade of red to share with you! This colour is so so flattering, and wears with great ease. It is the perfect winter shade, and though Christmas has passed and the New Year has begun, it is the perfect way to add a hint of festive subtlety to your nails to carry on that Christmas feeling.

I present to you the Bourjois '1 seconde' nail polish in Shade 14, it is a beautiful deep red with a subtle silver shimmer. Despite the silver tones this polish comes out looking very warm and at a glance you would think it was more gold based! I find it really hard wearing dark colours as my skin has yellow undertones but this shade seems to be just perfect, offering a rich, deep colour with a warmth that really compliments my skin and keeps my fingers looking elegant!

Not only is the colour incredibly rich but it is also long lasting! Despite only taking '1 seconde'  to dry (thought not quite one second it is really easy to apply thanks to the innovative shaped brush, and dries pretty fast compared to other polishes) it lasts a long time for a high street polish!

Day 1 | Two coats of polish over a Sally Hansen Base coat, topped with a Sally Hansen Top Coat!

Day 7 | This has lasted well over a week, no chips but starting to lose its glossy finish.

This polish has lasted a week, and though i'm sure it would last longer i'm too much of a polish addict to keep it on any longer! It lasts really well and hasn't chipped despite me being incredibly clumsy and hands on at work! Its a really sturdy polish, and though it looks a little bit warn you wouldn't be able to tell at a glance! This really is a great polish, great colour and great price at just £4.00 (on ASOS ) who could ask for more?!

Let me know what your favourite polish colours and brands are! Have you got a shade of red that you just adore? Please share!! 

All my love, 

CJ.