Ciate Velvet Manicure

Ciate Velvet Manicure - £10.50 (currently only available in Blue)

I've never been particularly adventurous with my nails- a dotting tool is as far as I've ever gone- but when I spotted this Ciate Velvet Manicure in 'Mink Cashmere' set I was intrigued. It comes with a great nail polish, a matching crushed powder and a small brush to use neaten up the distribution of the powder. 

Winter Nails

L-R: OPI Malaga Wine, OPI Suzi & the 7 Dusseldorfs, Nails inc. Holland Park Avenue, Kate Spade Nails inc. Soho Silver, Revlon Moon Candy Orbit, Essie Aruba Blue, Urban Decay Creep

Now that it's winter not only has my clothes wardrobe changed, but so has my nail wardrobe! It's all about the deeper, darker colours during the day, like OPI Malaga Wine and Suzi & the 7 Dusseldorfs. They're beautiful shades that, to me, seem to exude warmth and cosiness.
If you're not wanting to go for as much colour, you could always pop a bit of Nails inc. Holland Park Avenue on, being a rich taupe-y colour that you can't go wrong with.

For the evening parties, maybe you're feeling a bit of glitz and glamour, and these four picks are definitely good for that! Kate Spade for Nails inc. Soho Silver is a lovely opaque silver and Essie Aruba Blue is a metallic electric blue, but is not once that would necessarily match everything you wear. 

For those feeling a bit more adventurous, Revlon Moon Candy in Orbit is the way to go, with a purple on one side and a glittery top coat on the other side, making for effortless but gorgeous nails. 

A bit more classic, Urban Decay Creep is a glittery black, which looks lovely when layered on but otherwise is a bit sheer, needing at least 3 coats before looking opaque. 

Just remember to pop on a good top coat before you go out- nobody likes chipped nails!

November Favourites

Another month has gone by and these have been the hero products, getting me through the busy-ness (and the stress, coursework has been a killer..)

When going to the shops or just down the road, I didn't particularly want to go fully made-up, so I opted for Maybelline Dream Matte Mousse, set with a power and lashings of The Rocket Volum' Express and that was it! Speaking of setting, I have loved the Real Techniques Setting Brush for setting under eye concealer, as well as just for concentrating powder on my oilier areas.

I went neutral on my nails, with Nails Inc. 'Holland Park Avenue' practically all month, it's such a beautiful colour I just couldn't resist not repainting in the same colour! The formulation is pretty chip-prone but paired with a good top coat and I was good to go.

I've been slathering the Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream Intensive Moisturising Hand Treatment all over my hands this month, because the temperature in London has plummeted- it's freezing, to say the least! Although it's not a very wintery fragrance, I've loved spritzing the Victoria's Secret Fragrance Mist in 'Love Spell', as it has a beautiful cherry and peach scent. 

I can't believe it's almost December, I'm excited to visit Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park soon, that's when I know that Christmas is upon us!

Sally Hansen Instant Cuticle Remover

Recently I have started to notice how neglected my cuticles have been, but I just didn't know how to start caring for them. After a few YouTube videos and blog posts, I decided to start by investing in Sally Hansen Instant Cuticle Remover by recommendation of Anna from ViviannaDoesMakeup's blog/YouTube.


The nib at the top makes for easy application to the cuticles without it being to messy and getting all over my fingers. When it says instant, it means instant! By the time I had finished putting it on all of my fingers the first finger's cuticles were ready to be pushed back. The whole process took less than 10 minutes, namely due to my inexperience, but I was really impressed by how much it affected how my nails looked afterwards.
It's such a great and inexpensive product, which I think is slowly being rolled out to Boots stores so it will soon be easy to find- although, I did buy it on Amazon for only £2.99!