BEAUTY | Manicure Monday #13

While I've been in love with matte nails for a what seems like an age, I couldn't find a matte top coat to save my life. Until now. Thank you Wet n' Wild for being my saviour! I've been turning every mani matte this month, and for €1.99, why wouldn't I be? Wet n' Wild stands can be found in Dunnes Stores supermarkets all across Ireland!

My new favourite nail trend for S/S? Neon nails! Did anyone see Lily Allen on Graham Norton this past weekend? Not only did she look stunning House of Holland, but she rocked some amazing neon yellow nails too! While I feel like neon for summer could become passé, in a very Devil Wears Prada way ("Florals? For spring? Groundbreaking."), I can't help but love how they look on nails! Besides we need all the help we can get, to brighten up this dreary Irish weather!

Another nail obsession of mine this month; Wah Nails. Wah is a cult London-based nail salon, who have done nails for everyone from Nike to Marc Jacobs, and are a favourite at London Fashion Week! They have a salon in Dalston, as well as Topshop Oxford Circus and Harvey Nichols in our very own Dublin! I cannot stop stalking their instagram feed, and constantly suffer from nail envy! They do everything for demure nudes and pastels, to crazy patterns, something for every taste!

                             

What's been your go-to mani this month? Any trends you've been dying to try?

Side Note: Over the weekend, I reached over 100 followers on Bloglovin'. I was absolutely speechless, to think that so many people choose to subscribe to what I have to say is mind blowing. I just want to say, to anyone that has followed, commented, or even browsed this blog in the last 4 months, thank you from the bottom of my heart. It means more than I can put into words!

Until next time,

Elle

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Manicure Monday #12

After some recent humming and hawing, I decided to reevaluate Manicure Mondays here on my blog! Not only was a weekly nail post becoming tedious, but my nails were paying the price too! While I still plan to post every Wednesday and Friday, Monday posts will either be bi-weekly or monthly. For the moment, I'm leaning more towards the last Monday of the month. What do you think?! Also, would you prefer to see a round up of all the polishes and nail things I've been loving or just a standard, run-of-the-mill mani post?

This week, I went for a nude polish, and it's Rimmel London's Lycra PRO in the shade 365 Beige Style. I'm quite sure if this range has been discontinued or not, but Rimmel's Salon Pro in Get a Nail Tan or Beige Babe would be similar! They retail at around the €6 mark, and can be found on Rimmel stands.

At the minute, I'm really drawn to neutral nail colours, lots of white, nudes, grey and black. I love how they look on the nail, and are perfect for the dreary winter months! Beige Style is a very subtle, glossy nude.Like all the Lycra PRO polishes, it's easy to apply and fast drying. This colour is quite sheer, but it works well oddly enough! Of course, if you want it to be more opaque, the colour is definitely buildable!

What are your thoughts on neutral nails? Let me know in the comments! 

Until next time, 

Elle. 

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Manicure Monday #11

For this week's mani, I decided to leave my nails au natural!

After weeks of wearing falsies and having my nails painted, I thought I should give them a little breather! I like to do this every now and again, just to get my nails back to a strong, healthy condition!

                                    

Do you dare to go bare? Or do you need a constant pop of colour?! 

Until next time, 

Elle. 

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Manicure Monday #10

Already almost a week into 2014, and I'm slacking in the blogging department. Sorry! It's time to pull up my socks and get down to business! I'm really excited about what this new year could bring, and I can't wait to bring you all along with me!

This week's manicure is a combination of things really! Like last week's post, I still have the Primark false nails on, as well as Elf's Nail Polish in White! This retails for around €2.96, and can be found on the Elf website, and selected stores in the US.

I wanted a clean, neutral colour to brighten up my week, as I'm battling a cold, and I just love how white looks on the nail! To add a touch of sparkle, I left two of the nails their original glitter selves! I do have some issues with the Elf polish though. For starters, it does take more than a few coats to become opaque. It's not quick drying, which makes build the colour difficult. It can also become very, very messy if you accidentally bump your nail(s) into anything, before it's fully dry.

How do you feel about white nails? Let me know if you have a favourite white polish, I'd love to try a new brand/formula!

Until next time, and Happy New Year!,

Elle

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Manicure Monday #9 | Primark Fashion Nails

After an unexpected week-long break, I am back and ready to get down to business! I hope you all had a really good Christmas!  

For this week's manicure, I decided to do something a little bit different! I had planned to get my nails done before Christmas, but failure to get an appointment led to this solution.. Primark's Fashion Nails! They've got lots of different colours/patterns/embellishments available, and for only €1.50, they're a right bargain!

I chose this really cute black/clear heart printed set! There's four different styles within the pack, 3 seen above, then a clear, glittery style too!

                               

                                   

While I hadn't had a great experience with Primark nails in the past, I was quite surprised with this set! I have small nails, so I find it hard to get normal false nails to fit mine, but these one's fit almost perfectly, and aren't too long! 

What are your thoughts on false nails? Have you tried these ones, or do you have a different favourite? Let me know in the comments!

SIDE NOTE: Over the last week, this blog has reached over 1000 views, and I just wanted to acknowledged this personal accolade! I never imagined that I would get even 10 views in two months, so this is a big deal for me! I just want to say a HUGE thank you to anyone who has ever taken the time to read one of my posts, or even subscribe. It means more than you'll ever know. Hopefully, we'll continue getting bigger and better as 2014 rolls in! 

Until next time, and Merry Christmas!

Elle.

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Manicure Monday #8

With Christmas a mere TWO days away, I decided to go for the most festive colour I could find in my collection. Low & behold, I stumbled across the Rimmel London LYCRA PRO Polish in the shade 319 Ruby Me. It retails for around the €6 mark, and can be found on any Rimmel stand!

Ruby Me is a true red, and is perfect for this time of year! It's got a gorgeous glossy finish, that really complements the red. I just think there is something so classy about a red polish! It has Rimmel's signature Maxi Brush, that makes for super quick applications.  It does take a couple of coats to become opaque, but dries relatively quickly!

What's your Christmassy manicure look like? Tell me in the comments below!

Until next time, and Merry Christmas, 

Elle. 

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Manicure Monday #7

This weeks polish is the Rimmel London LYCRA PRO Professional Finish in the shade 500 Peppermint. It retails for around the €6 mark, and can be found on any Rimmel stand!

While it's not exactly a winter-y shade, with a little over a week to Christmas Day, the name Peppermint had me sold! It's a bright, duck egg blue, bordering on a Tiffany Box blue! The application is made quick and easy with the trademark Rimmel Maxi Brush! It's opaque in 2 coats, and dries quickly, perfect if you're on the go over the holiday season!

What polishes are you loving this week? 

Until next time, and Merry Christmas, 

Elle. 

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Manicure Monday #6

This week's manicure is one of my all time favourite polishes. It's Revlon's Nail Enamel in the shade 185 Sweet Tart.

This polish is a blue-toned, almost neon, pink. It's a creme formula that gives a glossy finish and is opaque in one coat! This colour is very cute, and is a super fun way to bring neons into winter!

What are your thoughts on neons in winter? Are they a way to brighten up dreary days or a sad reminder of the past summer?

Until next time,
Elle.

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Manicure Monday #5

This week's polish is Sally Hansen's Complete Salon Manicure in 670 Midnight in NY. This can be purchased from any Sally Hansen retailer. I'm not too sure on pricing, as it varies, & my bottle was actually a gift!

Midnight In NY is a glossy, black polish. It's got a very subtle shimmer throughout, which can be seen when the light hits it. It's a great twist on the classic black polish! The formula is quite thick, and is opaque in two coats. The brush is wide too, which makes for a quick and easy application!

What polishes are you loving this week?

Until next time,
Elle.

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Manicure Monday #4

This week's polish is NYC's In A New York Color Minute Quick Dry Polish in 228 Chelsea with Essence's Colour & Go in 112 Time For Romance over top of the ring finger! Both of these retail around the €1.99 mark, and can be purchased from Sam McCauley's Chemist & Primark stores around Ireland.

The NYC polish is a red shimmer with some pinky undertones. It reminds me of a candy apple red, as the shimmer element is not overly noticeable! The formula is thin, as it's meant to be sheer, but it is a buildable shade. The Essence polish is a deep red glitter. The formula is a little gloopy, but it works well as a top coat!

What polishes are you loving this week? How do you feel about the accent nail trend? 

Until next time, 

Elle.

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Manicure Monday #3

This week's manicure is all about nail effects! I went for two polishes, Barry M's Instant Nail Effects Nail Paint in 319 Foil and KIKO Cosmetics Sugar Mat Nail Lacquer in 635 Wisteria. The Barry M polish retails at €5.99 from Boots, while the KIKO polish retails at €3.90.

The Barry M nail paint is a silver foil effect, and the KIKO polish is a lilac 'sugar mat', which basically means it has a textured matte finish! Metallics and pastels are very on trend this season, and what better way to wear them than on your nails! Both of these polishes are super fast drying, so are perfect for 'on the go' manis, or for those of us with very little patience!

Have you tried any nail effects polishes recently? What are your thoughts on them? Be sure to let me know in the comments!

Until next time,
Elle.

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Manicure Monday #2

This week, I went for a nude-ish colour. It's the Sinful Colors polish in Easy Going. I purchased this for $1.99 from Target, but I think the range can be found at some Boots stores and online in Europe & the UK.

I personally love the Sinful Colors brand. I have a few colours, I just think the formulation is fantastic! My favourite though, has to be this shade, Easy Going. It's said to be a dupe for Essie's Fiji, for a fraction of the price! It's a very, very pale baby pink. It's almost opaque with one coat, but needs a second coat to cover up those patches! Easy Going is a shade that can be carried through all the seasons!

                                            

What nail colours are you loving this week?

Until next time, 

Elle.

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Manicure Monday #1

As I'm quite fickle and non-committal to nail polish (I tend to get bored easily, especially if it chips early on), I figured a weekly nail post would help me with my commitment problem, and utilize my polish collection more!

This weeks' mani is courtesy of me, as most of them will be! I decided to embrace the winter-y vibes around me and go for a dark polish. This No.7 Stay Perfect Nail Colour is in the shade 13 - Betty Blues. It's available from Boots, and costs around €8.00.

When I originally purchased this colour, I wasn't too crazy about it - I vaguely recall saying it was "a navy trying too hard to be black." But now, I really think that's what I love about it. With one coat, it's almost a dark denim colour, add a second coat, and you'll need the light to hit it to prove it's actually navy! It's also a very glossy polish, which I am LOVING at the minute. Could it be? have I left my matte obsession behind? ... I DON'T THINK SO. However, I am more open to other finishes now! All in all, this polish ticks all the right boxes for a winter staple!

What are some of your favourite polishes for winter? Let me know, and you could see it featured in a future Manicure Monday!

Until next time,
Elle.

P.S. This is completely un-nail related, but my very good friends in Paper Planes just released their very first single, Can't Sleep, this past Sunday, and it's bloomin' ace! It'd mean so much to both me & the boys if you checked it out here. Tell 'em I sent ya!

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