Glitter In The Air - Urban Outfitters 'Emperor' Nail Varnish

Just because the Christmas and New Year's parties are over and done with doesn't mean we have to pack the sequins away for another year. Oh no no. In fact I intend to involve sparkles a lot more in my day-to-day looks. I'm kind of failing at introducing colour to my wardrobe, so I'm hoping some glitter here and there will add a bit of pazazz to the Grim Reaper look I've been adopting as of late.  

One way in which I'm slowly introducing the shine to my very matte sense of style is through nail varnish. I did a really easy and sparkly Christmas Party Nail Tutorial as part of blogmas, and received this nail varnish for Christmas. I now have quite a big glitter polish collection, and although they're a bugger to get off, they seem to be my go-to if I want my nails to stand out.  

I'd never tried Urban Outfitters nail varnish before. In fact, I didn't even know they did it. 

This is basically me in a bottle. It's called Emperor and it's grungey yet feminine at the same time. Emperor is such an appropriate name. The pink is a royal, jewel tone, which contrasts magnificently with the dense black. 

I've has so many compliments on it, and it works with both evening and day-time looks. 

So if like me your struggling to find your colourful self this season, turn to nail varnish as a way of sneaking it in without feeling out of your comfort zone. 

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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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Holiday Beauty Essentials

                         

Seeing as I've been doing a lot of posts recently reviewing products that are suitable for the holiday season, I thought it was only fair that I did a post showing the products I took on holiday with me. I am god awful at packing lightly and am renowned among friends and family for having the biggest bag packed full of what I like to call 'just-in-case' items. There was a mountain of products I wanted to take with me, but we were only taking hand luggage which limits liquids to 100ml bottles, so I had to be very selective about what I took, and just pick items I knew I would struggle without. 

Clinique Airbrush Concealer

Having looked up the weather before I went, and discovering it was going to be between 30° and 35°, just the idea of wearing foundation in that heat made me feel hot. However I wanted to take something, just to get rid of those dark patches and cover up any burnt bits, so this little concealer was perfect. Its light reflecting qualities made my skin look dewy and fresh instead of the beaten, weathered look created by lots of sun, sea and sand. 

Clinique High Impact Mascara

It's always nice to dress up of an evening on holiday when you're going out for something to eat, and even if you're not intending to wear much make-up, a decent mascara can finish off a basic evening look perfectly. I've tried many mascaras since doing this blog, and so far Clinique's High Impact is my favorite. 

MUA Gel Eyeliner

I've been testing this product for quite some time now ever since I bought a hauls worth of MUA products with the aim of doing an MUA haul and review post (which will be up shortly, promise) , so I won't go into too much detail about it just yet. Obviously the fact I took it on holiday with me is proof that I'm happy with the product. I do find liquid eyeliners can be a little bit too strong for the skin on my eyes - which is quite sensitive - and eyeliner pencils are too faint. So I'm fast becoming a fan of gel eyeliners, and since I'm a huge cat-eye addict, I couldn't go on holiday without it. 

ArtDeco Peacock Coquette Nail Varnish

I knew I wanted to take at least one nail varnish with me, and I'm sure if like me you have a massive collection, you can understand how hard it was for me to pick just one. This particular nail varnish is from Art Deco's Autumn/Winter 2013 'Asian Spirit Western Feeling' collection which I loved. The reason I chose it is because it's such a chameleon shade. Depending on the light, it can range from a gorgeous turquoise to a forest green, and in some lights it even looks navy. There were points when I was laying on the beach and noticed my toenails were the same colour as the sea. 

St Kitt's Herbery Face Cream

My skin has such a tendency to look dry, and I knew the Clinque concealer would not work to its best if my face wasn't moisturised. It's so important to keep your skin hydrated if you're going to spend hours in the sun like I did, and having just reviewed a few St Kitt's products and loving them, as well as the bottle being the appropriate size, I felt it was a perfect addition. 

Nivea Powder Touch Underarm 

This little beauty came in my Cosmopolitan Superblogger Masterclass goodie bag and is responsible for my new found love of roll-on deodorant. I had such a love/hate relationship with deodorant sprays and could never find one that suited me 100%, and it never occurred to me to try a roll-on, but seeing as this was a freebie I gave it a go. The main issue I had with sprays was that they dried out my skin, but this roll-on has nourished it back to health. 

Mary Kay Limited Edition Retro Rose Cream Lip Colour

As a last addition to my planned evening make-up look, I took this lovely Mary Kay lip colour. Finding lipsticks that suit me is something I struggle with (god I do have a hard time of it ha) and reviewing the Mary Kay Hello Sunshine collection actually introduced me to the first set of lipsticks that worked with my skin tone and my hair colour. Obviously it's creamy and moisturising texture was an added bonus, and the dark yet warm shade added a sophisticated element to my make-up as a whole. 

BVLGARI Omnia Crystaline Eau De Parfum

Due to being very picky about fragrances, I only have a handful of perfumes that I like the smell of, and at the moment this is my favourite. I received this as a free sample, and loved the fact that it was a miniature of the actual bottle and not a little phial, and that it was parfum and not eau de toillette. As it's parfum, I don't need a lot and the scent lasts for hours. I've had it months and I'm not even half-way through yet (by the way I sincerely recommend applying for perfume samples - a much cheaper way of having a large selection of fragrances, then buy the ones you really like). Due to it's size and of course how much I love it, there was no question about packing it. 

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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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March Haul

Hello all : )

So another month down, and one more month closer to Summer. 

Now through March, with the odd day of incredible summer-style weather, I caught the shopping bug that means the majority of what I bought was only really suitable for those odd, yet glorious days, however, I remain hopeful that there will be a lot more of them. 

Unfortunately, due to the smoggy pollution situation, right now the sky in Bedfordshire is a grim grey, so in an attempt to bring back that carefree summer feeling, I decided to share with you my March purchases. 

I admit that for the beginning of my new Summer wardrobe, color is a bit sparse, however whenever Winter comes around, I get stuck in a monochrome phase (with the odd splash of green, my favorite color) so this is my wardrobes slow transformation into a colorful butterfly. 

Top Right to Bottom Right (clothes) 

- H&M Ain't No Pug T-Shirt 

- Topshop Blue Black Moto Leigh Jeans

- Miss Selfridge Chartreuse Belted Short  

From Top to Bottom: 

-River Island Monochrome Cherub T-Shirt (bought in store, cannot find online, but will keep looking)

-Remington Pearl Pro Curl 

-River Island Bardot Top 

New Look Iridescent Chunky Chain Necklace 

Top to Bottom:

- Regal Rose Crystal Cluster Stacking Rings 

The Rogue and the Wolf The Queen of Hearts Crown Ring in Black

Left to Right: 

 - Barry M Classic Matte Nail Paint in Burgundy Crush

 - Seventeen Rock Hard Nail Effects in Grey 

- Barry M Classic Black Nail Paint 

I'm so happy with this haul, especially the curling wand. I've recently drastically changed my hair (all to be revealed, however if you follow me on Instagram @STEPHANIESOFOKLEOUS you'll get a preview) and really wanted to see what it looked like curled. It took me forever to actually find a curling wand that had good reviews, but I finally stumbled across this one on Amazon. Not a bad review insight, and only £22, I just had to get it. 

I guess this is more of a capsule start to my Summer wardrobe; a collection of things that I can mix and match, and are just really handy to have. The two t-shirts look really good with the jeans, or with a faux leather pencil skirt, whilst the bardot top adds a more formal look to the jeans, and contrasts really well with the bright yellow shorts, which are so cute, and I can't wait to style them. 

The rings I have already mentioned in previous post, but I am still so in love with them, and I think they work so well with everything I bought this month. 

In regards to the nail varnishes, they're not the summeriest of colors I know, but I've needed a black nail varnish for ages, an I will always go back to Barry M for my classic colors. I also love texture nail varnishes, so really wanted to try out one of Barry M's Matte Collection, and whilst I was looking around in Boots, I found Seventeen, and their Rock Hard collection, which I decided to give a go as well. I do plan on doing a post purely for these varnishes, so stay tuned for that. 

I will be doing posts styling all of these items, and as well as product reviews, and a reveal of my new hair. Eeeek. 

So what have you guys been splashing your money on?

Also, I'm getting used to using curling wands, so if you guys have any advice on using them and heat protection, I'd really appreciate it. 

Steph

x x x

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