Belated Blogmas Day 15: Christmas Party Nails

When it comes to getting ready for the Christmas and New Years parties, the dress, hair and make-up top the list of getting-ready priorities. Nails are usually rushed or given the quickest coat of something that'll kind of go with your outfit, whilst hoping they don't smudge as you pull up your tights. 

But your nails can actually be one of the best and yet cheapest accessories to your outfit, and if you do something a little creative with them, you'll be getting compliments left, right and center.  

A lot of nail art out there looks pretty tricky and time consuming, so I've come up with a really quick and easy take on a french mani that requiring you have a sequin varnish, can be adapted to whatever you have in your collection. 


What you'll need: 

A nail file
A base and top coat 
A varnish colour of your choice
A sequin varnish of your choice
Nail varnish remover
Q Tips (for cleaning up around your nail) 

 1. File your nails into your desired shape. I've gone for an exaggerated talon, but this look works well on any nail shape (as long as you have a free edge). 

 2. Paint your nails with a base coat. I use Models Own 5 in 1 Top & Base Coat. 

 3. Paint your nails in your chosen colour, doing two coats to for an opaque coat. 

4. Go along the skin around your nails with a Q Tip and nail varnish remover, making sure you've cleaned up any varnish that went out the lines. 


 5. With your chosen sequin nail varnish (I'm using Topshop's Magpie), scrape the brush down the edge of your nail. Sequins will sit nicely on the edge of your nail. If they come of in big lumps, gently use your brush to slide them along your nail. Don't worry if the distribution of the sequins is inconsistent. You don't want it to look too contrived. 

6. When the sequin varnish is dry, go over your entire nail with a top coat. 

 You can really have fun with this, and the colour / sequin combos are endless. 

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Autumn / Winter Nails with Topshop

At the risk of being unpopular here, I'll just say it: I'm enjoying this weather. I'm loving wrapping up warm and getting all cosy on the sofa with the boyfriend and watching movies.

I'm also really into this season's colour palette. When it comes to nail varnishes, I really prefer A/W colours, They have a depth to them that I love, and considering I'm a monochrome addict, they go with the majority of  my wardrobe. Some of my favourite additions to my nail varnish collection have been from Topshops latest A/W collection. I received these for my birthday, and have worn them non-stop. 

These three shades in particular work so well together, and individually. 

Glitter

(left)

I can never own enough black varnishes, and if there's glitter in it I want it even more. I love that there's an iridescence to the glitter in this which gives it another dimension. The only issue I have is that it requires multiple coats before you get a good, opaque coverage. However when you do, it's worth it.

 A good top-coat is needed for any glitter varnish, just to stop it being so rough to the touch (I use Models Own 5 in 1 Top & Base Coat). Once that's applied, you have a really sleek black nail with a feminine twist. 

Miss Dazzle 

(middle)

This is surprisingly my favourite of the bunch. It's so easy to use because it's so thick. One coat is enough to get a full coverage, and the colour is really striking. This is quite a chameleon colour in the sense that it changes depending what light you're in. It can range from a burn orange to a browny-red all of which have a cosy, warm glow. I wore this varnish for an entire week, doing baking and decorating my boyfriend's bedroom, and it barely chipped. This is the only varnish I've found that's lasted that wrong, so I'm going to cherish it with all my heart.

Magpie 

(right)

A varnish like this is a staple for any nail varnish collection I think. Personally, I'd use varnishes like this as a detailed coat on top of another varnish, but I took a picture of it on its own so you could see the size of the glitter. I actually didn't think it looked too bad on it's own. It's very subtle and dainty. However I like something with a bit more oomph. In fact, I actually used Magpie on top of Glitter for my nails at London Fashion Weekend. My nails looked like a Gothic disco ball. 

How many coats you need all depends on how much glitter coverage you want, but it dries so quickly that you wont be waiting around long.

*Nail Painting Tips*

- Ever been frustrated that the colour on your nails differs from that in the pot? Paint your nails white before using the colour you want. The pink of your nails adjusts the shade of the varnish, whereas white brings out it's true tone. 

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Textured Nails

Nail varnish. 

Oh how I love it. Oh how I'm addicted to it. 

I am a self-confessed nail varnish hoarder, and this post is basically about how that hoard has just grown by two. 

Words cannot explain how much I love the fact that the world of nail art has expanded into so many forms, whether it's nail wraps, art pens, confetti, sequins, magnets, or crocodile effects. 

I used to bite my nails quite badly (sometimes if i'm stressed or nervous or bored I still do), but I must say the wide range of options available when it comes to nail art has become my motivation to stop. 

So these two nail varnishes were quite a spontaneous purchase, but these two textured effects I hadn't yet tried, so to a nail varnish hoarder, this purchase was a must. 

The varnishes I bought were Barry M's Classic Matte Nail Paint in Burgundy Crush, and Seventeen's Rock Hard Nail Effects in Grey. 

                                                                                                                                     

The Barry M Matte Nail Paint is the first matte nail varnish I've tried, and I was really impressed. I was a bit disappointed with the range of colours in this collections, which consisted of just this Burgundy shade, a Black, a Light Brown Caramel, a Nude Vanilla and a Brown Mocha. Granted, all of these shades would look amazing in matte effect,but I think this is an effect that I personally think if it was on every Barry M shade, I'd happily buy the entire lot with my life savings. 

It applies really evenly, and two coats is enough for an opaque, matte finish. I think for a grungey look, this particular shade is a nice, more Summery alternative to black. 

One thing that I was really surprised with was how long it was before the varnish chipped. I really love Barry M as a brand, simply for it's variety of shades and effects, but I do have a few issues with how quickly the varnishes chip, but this particular shade was quite resilient, and that was without a top coat, which would obviously take away the matte effect. 

As for Seventeen, I've never used their products before, but was attracted to their Rock Hard Nail Effects collection. Said to give your nails a gritty concrete effect, I was really curious as to how this would look. 

I really like the grey colour, and again it applied really evenly, and two coats is more than enough for an even finish. This is an effect that I think can only be noticed up close, but it does look good. The varnish is supposed to be matte as well, but the matte effect is nowhere near as noticeable as the Barry M varnish. 

This varnish also comes in a red, a black and a blue. 

Steph x x x

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