The super easy way to remove glitter nail polish

Who doesn’t have glitter nail polish on, this time of year? Which means we will all have that same struggle when it comes to removing it. But never fear, the Internet is here.

My personal technique is to apply a base coat first that’s reaaaally easy to peel off. OPI make a base coat specifically for this purpose. It’s called Glitter Off and it’s £8.95. Apply any glitter nail polish on top of this and a couple of days later you will be able to just peel it off. It’s by far the easiest option.

Alternatively, you could take the long way round. You will need nail varnish remover, cotton balls, and tin foil.

Soak the cotton balls in nail varnish remover. Apply the ball to the nail and secure it by wrapping the top of the finger in tin foil. Do this on every finger. Then sit back and watch TV. After 10-15 minutes, unwrap your nail. The nail polish now should be much easier to budge. There is no trick to this, it’s just literally soaking your nails in chemicals.

Of course, you could just leave it till February when it will have all chipped off anyway. Very grunge.

But the take away message is, don’t let it’s difficulty to remove stop you from using fabulous glitter!

 

Nail growth myths

Much like with hair, there is no way to speed up nail growth. It grows at a fixed rate. If you want longer nails, the best thing to do is make them healthy and strong so they don’t break off at short lengths.

Here are some tips for healthy, strong nails:

Iron: iron deficiency can cause poorly hair and nails. Red meat contains iron and also it is rich in protein which is vital for healthy nails.

Almonds also contain a ton of protein along with magnesium which is great for hair and nails. A deficiency in magnesium can cause those pesky nail ridges.

Milk: vitamin D (helps with calcium absorption = healthy nails) and protein.

Biotin. Taking biotin supplements has been proven to improve the condition of nails. It helps develop keratin. Eggs are a great source of both biotin and vitamin D.

Lastly, don’t forget the importance of moisturising. Dry nails are brittle and fragile nails. Don’t forget the cuticles. Dry cuticles can cause hangnails and look ragged.

Product Review: High Street Gel Nail Polishes

I love long nails. Back when I could afford it, I would forever have long acrylic talons that I had re done every 2 weeks. Now to save money I try and grow my own nails and do the manicures myself. I am in no way an expert. My hands shake, I smudge them, and then as soon as they start to chip I have to do it all over again because I can’t abide chipped nail varnish.

I love the gel look, it works really well on shorter nails, and if I can’t grow talons myself, I will make do with a good quality gel.

I recently purchased two different drug store brand gel nail polishes. These are home gel polishes that do not require a UV light to set them. I thought I would give them ago and see if I can recreate a salon quality look at home.

The first one I tried was from Models Own HyperGel line. Like all Models Own nail varnishes, it was £5. My first thoughts were “Wow, this is hard to apply”. The brush is very VERY thin, almost like a nail art brush. So you have to be very accurate (which I’m not). It also took 3 coats before it looked opaque and gel like which is more than their normal varnishes take. After you have managed to get this on your nails, be prepared to sit still and not touch anything for about 12 hours. Even after you think they’re dry, you can still leave a thumb print (if you press you thumb on your nail) after 24 hours. And it only lasted a day so by the time it was definitely dry, I was taking it off anyway. The colour is great and it would look very pretty for a night out if you left enough time to apply it with precision, but for ease of application, drying time and lasting power I’d give this product a 4/10.

Next I tried this baby from Bourjois

Price ranges from £4.50 to £5.99 depending on where you shop

This 1 second Gel polish is unbelievable. I read a very positive review of this on getthegloss.com which is why I thought I’d try it. The author of the post said this lasted 7 days. I scoffed at this as no nail varnish lasts that long on me. But now I can believe it (if you don’t do any housework or physical work). The brush is shaped so you only need one stroke down the centre and it coats the whole nail. In fact you could even get away with just one coat of this, but I went for two just to look extra good. It dried much quicker than the Models Own. With all home gel polishes they will take a longer time to be bone dry, as the gel is so viscous and malleable. I applied this on sunday and with the exception of one nail which I had to reapply, my nails are still chip free. No home manicure has ever lasted this long on me. I plan on buying this product in every colour. Ease of application, lasting time and drying time – 9/10. I highly recommend this product for a quality home gel manicure.

Back to school/Off to uni

A new school year, or a brand new university, is the perfect opportunity for a beauty makeover. My school was incredibly strict and we weren’t allowed to wear makeup, dye our hair, or even fake tan. We also had to keep our hair tied back. The rules relaxed a little in 6th form, but my first chance for a real beauty makeover was university. So whether you are just being released from the tight grip of school rules, or you go to a school where you are allowed to express yourself through your appearance, here are some great tips for becoming the new You 2.0. 

Tan

Not everyone looks best with a tan, there are some lucky people who really pull off the alabaster skin look. Unfortunately, I am not one of them. When my tan fades I just look like a jaundiced Lord Voldemort. So having a tan is a great confidence booster for me and a great way to start the school or uni year looking healthy and glowing, like you spent the summer on a yacht instead of watching hundreds of hours of netflix (which is what I actually did). 

If you are not a fan of actual tanning, why not fake it with something that comes pretty close to the real thing. 

My favourite fake tan is Xen-Tan 

This Dark Lotion Absolute Luxe is currently £25.24 in the feelunique.com sale and it is the one I use. It’s the darkest they do, but they also have a medium and fair range to suit all skin types. What I love about this tan is it has olive undertones, instead of orange. Like, for real, it comes out green. You apply the guide colour onto freshly exfoliated skin and leave it overnight. Wash off in the morning and you are left with the perfect tan.

If this isn’t dark enough, you can top it up with something cheaper, like St Moritz (£4.49 on feelunique.com)

Yes, it’s very cheap so it doesn’t have great lasting power, it’s more of a wash off tan. But it goes on super dark and I used to apply this just minutes before going out, on top of my original tan. Even though it is cheap it is not orange. It comes out as a mahogany brown foam, and it stays mahogany brown on your skin.

TIP: to make your tan last longer, moisturise. Do not moisturise before applying your tan or it won’t absorb as well, but moisturising is crucial for retaining a tan, real or fake. 

Hair

Heat stimulates hair growth, which is why your hair grows more over summer. The sun also can lighten your hair. I am naturally brunette, but I died my hair blonde for uni, and kept it up until about a year ago. I loved being blonde but it killed my hair. But a few highlights are always flattering. Dark hair doesn’t suit me, and when I first started highlighting my hair I got so many more compliments. So why not try some honey or caramel toned highlights?

For light hair:

For dark hair:

Nails

I would never have been allowed any kind of nails when I was at school. Neither was I allowed when I was nursing. It was so liberating when I stopped nursing just to be able to have the longest, most ratchet nails possible. I love a stiletto nail, a squareletto nail or even a simple square. So if your school allows nails, or if you are headed to the freedom of uni, why not treat yourself to a manicure before you go. You could stick with your natural nails with a cute gel polish, alla Kardashian

Or go more gangsta with it, like Lil Debbie

or Kylie Jenner:

Whatever you choose, you will feel pretty much ready for anything with your new look. Good luck in the new school/uni year!

Amrezy Palette or Marge for Mac? Help!

Hello dolls, sorry for the long absence. I’ve just moved house and been without internet or TV for 3 whole days! It’s been a struggle. Especially seeing as I don’t get 3G in this new house (thanks EE).

But anyway, this post is going to be about 2 new exciting collections. One has already been released, the other is set for online release on August 28th. My funds are limited so I can only buy ONE, and I can’t decide which. 

The first, which has already been released, is the Amrezy Palette from Anastasia Beverly Hills (£24 available at cultbeauty.co.uk) 

This palette from the insta-famous Amrezy consists of 10 gorgeous colours. 5 matte, and 5 iridescent. For those who don’t follow Amrezy on Instagram (and I recommend that you do, she’s luminous) these are all her signature colours that she uses to make up almost all her makeup looks. It is incredibly reasonably priced for the amount of colours and the quality of the brand (Anastasia is a bit of a legend in the makeup community). Normally this would be a no brainer, however shipping on Cult Beauty brings the price up to nearly £30 and then I wouldn’t be able to buy any of the next collection…

The Marge for Mac collection!

(pictures courtesy of @trendmood1 and @beautygeeks)

With an early release for ComicCon goers, the internet has given us a glimpse of the glorious collection, set for online release on August 28th. And it is good. 

Even though my relationship with Mac is currently on rocky ground, I am also probably the biggest Simpsons fan in the UK (at least!) So I would be willing to purchase this stuff just for the packaging alone. But luckily, it all looks AMAHZING! There is a blusher, 2 eye shadow palettes, 4 lip glass lipglosses, a pair of fake eyelashes and some nail stickers. I particularly have my eye on the blush, (probably £20) and the Grand Pumpkin lip glass (probably £14). Excluding shipping this brings the total to £34. Plus there’s a big chance it will all sell out before I have the chance to buy it. 

So what should I do, dolls? I feel like I’d use the blush and lip glass more than the eyeshadows of the Amrezy palette, but I might not even get hold of them. I could just wait until August 28th and see if I am lucky, but then in the mean time I really want to play around with some different eye shadow looks with my girl, Amrezy! 

Help me, Internet! I would really love your feedback. I need advice!

Summer Nails: NEON!

I am a tanning professional, and one of my favourite tricks for looking more tanned is neon. Any neon, be it clothes, accessories or jewellery will instantly make you look more brown. That’s why this season I love neon nail varnish. 

The makeup range Models Own which started with nail varnishes, has released the perfect range of polishes for this look called Polish for Tans.

 

(picture from getthegloss)

This range comes in five blindingly bright colours:

From left to right: Flip Flop, Bikini, Beach Bag, Shades and Sun Hat.

As always each polish is £5. Models Own is one of my favourite brands of nail polishes because of the low price, the easy application and fast drying. On natural nails this will last up to 3 days but when applied to false nails or nail extensions it will last as long as the nails do! And your hands will look gorgeously bronzed. Or use them in your pedicure for perfectly tanned looking toes. 

I also love their Iced Neon collection for summer

Another great but affordable brand is Topshop Nails. Their polishes are £6 and the range of colours is amazing. They don’t have a specific neon collection but they do have this great bright pinky red:

Tobasco Trouble £6. I adore this colour so much, I can’t even look at it. 

Utilise these colours with caution, however: may cause envy in others. 

My Visit to WAH Nails

I am obsessed with nails and I love them long and fake. I love acrylic. I know that, and I own it. I like the hardness of them. You can’t do any real damage with gels. Also maybe I’m a bit old school. I have followed WAH Nails on Instagram for years and I love their designs and their nail art. I think it is amazing what they can do even on the shortest nails. Knowing this, my brother got me a Topshop voucher for my birthday a couple of weeks ago to use at the Wah flagship bar in the Topshop at Oxford Circus. I couldn’t wait to use it and this is how it went down.

When I arrived at Topshop with my mum we went straight down to the beauty area on the basement level. It is hipster paradise down there! With a Bleach salon and a tattoo and piercings parlour and wig shop, you can literally transform yourself. It’s almost overwhelming in how cool it is. I went to the Wah section and managed to book myself an appointment for less than an hour. There is an EAT. in the actual shop right next to the nail bar if you don’t want to kill the time fishing through 4 floors of clothes.

When I went back for my appointment I chose the design I wanted from a big wall full of myriad of spectacular nail wonders. I originally went in wanting camo print but my mum spotted the Breakfast at WAH design which is painted to look just like a Tiffany box. As my parents had given me a Tiffany necklace for my birthday I thought it was kismet. I had my appointment with a very Dalston and very charming girl with pink hair and a spiked collar. We chose the perfect Tiffany blue together (Alimony by Trophy Wife) and she then set to work on creating her masterpiece.

After my nails had dried cuticle oil was applied and the classic Instagram pictures were taken.

The pictures were uploaded about 12 hours later and I have to say I was pretty excited to see my nails enjoying their moment in the spotlight. I only wish I’d gotten a plug for my blog in there, like writing it on my forehead.

Overall it was a very fun experience. My only criticism is there are no machines for drying your nails so you have to sit for ten minutes air drying and I didn’t dare put my coat on for half an hour. I think if they invested in some UV dryers they would free up seats much quicker. In the end I put them in the Dyson hand dryer in the toilets. Cause I’m resourceful like that. Anyway thank you WAH and thank you Hugh for the thoughtful gift. So in love with my nails right now ❤