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*.