Ciate Bada Bloom Flower Manicure

Another nail post!  I was sent this for review and really looked forward to the weekend when I could have a play.  I loved the imagery on the packaging and was intrigued by the idea of putting real dried flowers on my nails - somewhere in the back of my mind, I think I've seen this done on liquid/powder nails but not on DIY nails.

This beautifully packaged set comes with a Ciate mini polish, speed dry topcoat, two pots of dried flowers, tweezers and a file.  The colour I got was Ferris Wheel, a really pale blue which initially I wasn't that into at all (I don't tend to wear blues and greens on my nails) but I absolutely loved the colour once it was on and actually thought about not adding the flowers just yet!  I got purple, blue and red flowers which all worked well the the colour of polish.

Application was really easy, you just apply two coats of polish, leave them to dry and then apply the speed dry topcoat.  You then use the tweezers to apply the flowers (I pressed them down with my other hand too just to fix them in place) and apply another layer of topcoat before gently buffing away any flowers overhanging the free edge of your nail.  Here's what I came up with on my first attempt:

I actually liked them a lot more than I initially thought I would (they're better from a distance than close up though!), I think the index and middle fingers are my faves.  I found the purple flowers a bit more fiddly to apply so I don't know if I'd bother with them next time.  This kit would be great for a more subtle accent nail look too I think.  The flowers actually don't feel too rough or bumpy on the nail either, I prefer this as sometimes I get annoyed with nail art if I'm forever catching it on things!

Overall I enjoyed using this and liked the look quite a lot, it was really easy to use and I'll definitely be rocking the flower manicure again sometime in the near future.  The kit contained everything I needed to pull it off and I've got a polish colour that I wouldn't have chosen myself but now love, result!  The packaging on this is absolutely gorgeous too and would make a great gift for someone who's into their nail art.

Exclusively available from Selfridges*, the flower manicure set costs £18 and comes in two different designs (I love the colour of the polish and flowers in the Strike-A-Posy one too) - check them both out here*.

Models Own 50% off sale could be coming soon...

I'm a huge Models Own fan - I love their range of colours, the fact the prices don't break the bank and that they're really easy to pick up nowadays on the high street - so to hear that they're planning another 50% sale if they hit 250,000 Facebook followers is a little bit exciting to me!

If you're not already a fan, or you've been meaning to try Models Own for a while, now's the time to get involved!  Just head over to http://www.facebook.com/modelsown and like their page.  If they get 250,000 followers by 31st January 2014 then everyone gets 50% off...woo hoo!

Here's a little preview of some of the items I've got my beady little eye on:

I'm sure I'll end up adding more to my basket once there's 50% off going on!

2014 seems to have given me expensive taste...

For some reason, everything I'm really coveting at the moment is around the £200+ mark...which isn't really going to happen so I'm hoping that by blogging about them it'll get that stuff out of my system!

Topshop Boxy Leather Biker Jacket in Blue - I've coveted a blue leather jacket for such a long time and I don't really know why!  I love the colour, style and leather quality on this one...I want it bad but I'm going to wait and see if it gets reduced like the red version.  There's also a pretty gorgeous pink version too that I like nearly as much!  Both are £185.

Cutler & Gross Sunglasses in 0740 - how amazing are these!  After spotting them on a certain Cheryl Cole I totally fell in love with them.  I've sourced what I hope is a good alternative from Ebay for about £5 but I doubt they'll be a patch on the real thing.  Aviators are my favourite sunglasses style, I love mirrored ones and the rainbow effect is just too much!  These are in Dark Turtle and cost £310.

Whistles Spray Print Dress - I think this dress is just the right mix of classic and interesting.  I really want it!  This one's £195.

So there you have it...the best part of £700 mentally dropped on three items.  Just think of all the stuff I could buy from ASOS or River Island with that £700!

House of Holland by Elegant Touch Zig Zag Stardust False Nails

Another nail post!  I bought these during a particularly stressful bout of Christmas shopping and I don't really know what I was thinking...I definitely do love my nail art and neon nails but these are too bright even for me.  I can't ever see myself wearing these out and about.

I kind of wish these were a bit pointier too.  There's also another design with green and yellow neon that wouldn't fit on any of my nails (it was my least favourite one anyway), I probably like the one on my thumb nail and pinkie nails the best.

These don't feel as plasticky as other false nails that I've worn, initially I thought it was just the design that was overlaid on it in paper or something but I think it's just the actual nail, they feel quite thin and papery.  I don't think that's a bad thing in terms of look and they're definitely not flimsy, they're just different.  These come with glue and a nail file, the Elegant Touch glue it comes with is amazing!

Available for £8.99 from Boots.com* - there are loads of other designs on there that they didn't have in my local Boots!