I’m a total nail polish addict. I have actually had to restrain myself from buying more until I use up the bottles in my current collection, so to make this a little easier on myself I picked up a new top coat which I’ve heard great things about through the grapevine…
‘Blossom Dandy’ is one of the beautiful shades from Essie’s 2015 Flowerista collection and is perfect for summertime. A gorgeous bright duck egg shade, it has a hint of mint without taking anything away from the blue tones.
I’m obsessed.
I have been searching for a shade like this for a few weeks but all the polishes I have seen seem to be too blue or too green – I wanted that famous Tiffany’s colour.
Using the Essie base coat and two coats of colour, the drying time was great and I didn’t have to endure any smudging (I’m a fidget which always proves problematic painting nails!)
I can’t comment on the staying power as it’s only been on my nails for a couple of hours but Essie polish usually lasts a good 5 days before chipping. During the hotter months (or week, in the UK) I change up the nail colour quite a bit so longevity isn’t too much of an issue for me, but I have a feeling I’m going to be opting for this shade quite a bit…
You can find more details on the Essie Flowerista collection here.
What do you think of this colour? Have you bought any shades from this range?
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It will be no surprise to many of you who have read my blog from the start or follow me on Instagram that I love nail art. I love the process of painting my nails and creating something fun, inspired by other nail art or fabric patterns. When I saw this floral manicure on Lauren Conrad’s website (via Pinterest) I had to give it a go!
It’s perfect for spring/summer, and the only thing it really requires is patience! If you haven’t got a steady hand, ask a friend of family member to help. I painted mine whilst watching American Horror Story, so I had a good excuse not to watch all the gory bits…
Materials
Brushes – You don’t need to spend a lot of money on professional nail art brushes. I use these fine art brushes from The Works, but you can pick similar ones up in any arts and crafts store for super affordable prices.
It’s all about the base…
Step 1 – It’s important to protect your nails and I use Essie’s All-in-One base coat. It may be slightly pricier than many drugstore products but I’ve found this particular one dries the quickest and leaves a super smooth finish, sometimes I use it by itself on days between wearing polish for a ‘my nails but better’ look.
Step 2 – Choose your base colour. I alternate between bold colours, pastels and nude shades, and as I haven’t worn this beautiful blue in a while I was inspired to create something with it. I can’t fault Rimmel’s Rita Ora collection – the formula and longevity is fantastic and there is a great range of shades to choose from. This one in ‘Breakfast in Bed‘ has a slight shimmer to it but only noticeable in certain lights. I always suggest two coats for the best coverage.
Step 3 – Choose a pale pink shade (I used Barry M’s Gelly nail paint in ‘Rose Hip‘) and paint two splodges on each nail. This is to create the shape of the rose so it doesn’t need to look perfect.
Step 4 – Use a fuchsia pink to create the petals, and draw ‘c’ shapes on the pale pink splodges with a fine brush. Each nail will look slightly different and this really adds to the ‘DIY’ effect.
Step 5 – Similar to step 4, use a white polish to ‘highlight’ the petals and add dimension. An off-white like Barry M’s Gelly Nail Paint in ‘Coconut’ is perfect!
Step 6 – A dark green shade is needed to create the stems – I used Essie’s ‘Stylenomics‘ as it’s a great green grass colour. Draw one or two small lines next to each rose, again each one doesn’t have to be the same.
Once it’s dry, add another layer of Essie’s All-in-One coat for shine and protection.
Ta-da!
Follow me over on bloglovin’ and tweet me photos if you give this a go @kcallen_xo
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So many products tried, tested and loved throughout January. In fact, I’ve had to hold back on a few products for next month’s favourites!
I always find winter a great time to try out new makeup, especially as a lot of brands choose to launch new products at the start of the year. Post-Christmas and Birthday I had some money to spend and I used this as the perfect excuse to splurge on beauty bits that I’ve heard rave reviews on.
Skincare | Simple Illuminating Radiance Cream – This has replaced my Clinique moisturiser many days since being given this for Christmas. The light formula is fantastic and really lifts your face with it’s brightening ingredients, great for winter when your skin is likely to feel and look its dullest.
Foundation | Max Factor Face Finity 3-in-1 – I can’t rave about this enough, it’s the best foundation I have come across since (dare I say it) Rimmel’s Wake Me Up foundation. BIG words I know, but from using it everyday for over a week and not having to retouch my makeup at all from first application to bed time – that speaks volumes to me. All of the foundations I own are great in their own way, whether they are better for nights out or in the summer time, this Max Factor All Day Flawless foundation is perfect for day and night. A review on it is coming very soon so keep your eyes peeled…
Concealer | Maybelline The Eraser Eye Concealer – This stuff is amazing! I’ve repurchased it a couple of times since the launch of it last year and it’s now replaced a beauty blogger’s favourite by Collection as a staple in my bag. I use this underneath the eye area and down to the cheek, creating a triangle shape, and this makes it super easy to contour. Not to be used on blemishes mind, that is still Collection’s Lasting Perfection concealer’s job…
Bronzer | Soap & Glory Solar Powder – After using the Bourjois Delice-de-Poudre bronzer for a long time, it was time to find a new product to bronze these pale cheekbones. I had read great reviews on this Soap & Glory bronzer for a while so I popped into Boots and purchased it. It’s incredible. A girl can dream about contouring like Kim K and with this product I do feel one step closer (in an every day natural way). A slight exaggeration, maybe, but I can’t praise the Solar Powder enough for the quality, it’s price tag and how achievable chiseled cheeks are using this!
Eyeliner | Soap & Glory Supercat – Another S&G product to rave about, but this one is a keeper. A holy grail makeup item for me and I’ve encouraged most of my friends to purchase it. Those that have, have thanked me and those that haven’t – well, you may judge their eyeliner application for yourselves! Jokes aside, this liner makes the feline flick so easy and I can’t think of another eyeliner aside from Maybelline’s Gel Liner that I would choose to recommend!
Mascara | Maybelline Lash Sensational – A new product on the market and I’m already feeling the need to purchase another whilst it’s on offer for £5.99 (usually £7.99). I tend to use more than one mascara at a time but always keep my Maybelline The Falsies in my handbag as it’s an ongoing love affair, however it has almost pretty much been replaced with their new Lash Sensational mascara. The brush is small enough to lengthen your top lashes as well as the smaller bottom lashes, without any smudging underneath (winner!)
Eyeshadow Palette | MUA Undress Me Too – These affordable shadows have become part of my daily routine over the past couple of weeks. I’ve never been a lover of using eyeshadow in the daytime, I like to focus on using lip products to extenuate the look I want to achieve, but these have changed my opinion. Only costing £4 and boasting natural shimmer and matte shades, I’m enjoying experimenting with the colours. Read more about my love for these palettes in my review here.
Lip Gloss | Tanya Burr Cosmetics in ‘Lunch Date’ – I won’t write too much about this favourite of mine, everybody knows I’m a big fan of Tanya’s lip glosses. This is the perfect pinky nude shade to wear day to night and you can read my rave review about it here on my blog.
Lip Crayon | Revlon Colorburst Matte Balm in ‘Elusive’ – This pretty pink lipstick is perfect for spring time, and as I’m fed up with the cold I thought I would prepare for brighter weather now by wearing summer shades. It feels moisturising and the application is easy for those who want to apply on the go – I wore it in my recent ‘Face of the Day’ post which you can see here.
Brushes | Real Techniques Eye Starter Set – I’m a big fan of all of Real Techniques brushes, so when my dear friend Hana bought me these for Christmas I was excited to try them out. They don’t disappoint and come in a really useful case to carry them about in.
Nail Polish | Rita Ora for Rimmel in ‘Let’s Get Nude’ – The perfect nude nail. I’ve struggled to find a polish in the past that wasn’t too orange, not too pink, just an enhanced natural nail. When I spotted this I knew I was onto a winner, and two weeks after application it was still going strong – impressive! You can see it on my nails here.
What have been your January favourites? Leave them in the comments below, and link me to your own posts!
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Pink pout, pale pins and pretty petals – Summer is here, ladies and gents.
Summer arrived in the UK this weekend, so as the sun came out – so did the legs. Now, whilst I struggle with tanning (thank goodness for St Tropez) I just love the excuse to wear pretty dresses and secretly hope that one day my legs will be sun kissed naturally.
On the fourth day of Christmas my true love gave to me…
…Christmas nails!
Each year I like to gather up all of my favourite festive nail polishes and attempt a Christmas themed nail art design.
After much deliberation and research on Pinterest, I decided on 5 designs: a present, a candy cane, a Christmas jumper pattern, holly & ivy and a glitter nail (great for those of you like me who can sometimes be a little indecisive…).
Don’t forget to add a clear top coat to add shine and to stop any nasty chipping.
And finito!
Will you be trying out this Christmas nail art?
‘The sun has got its hat on, hip hip hip hooray…’
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I changed into about 3 dresses before deciding on this one, and I know it seems boring wearing black when it’s so hot outside but I think it looks classic – you can’t beat an LBD, whatever the weather!
These photos are post-hair appointment so I had minimal jewellery and make-up on – paired with a big handbag and sunglasses and I felt like a new woman!
What dress do you own that makes you feel great?
Until tomorrow lovelies…
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The weather was a bit hit and miss today – I stepped out of the house in the sunshine, but came home in the rain. I left the house again a bit later in the sunshine, and came home again in the rain. Good old British weather, eh?
I spent the day in a country park not too far away from where I live, and luckily I chose to take these photos when it was glorious sunshine!
I bought this dress in a last minute panic for a job interview in London last summer, and have found it so wearable throughout all the seasons – whether it’s a formal or informal occasion, this is one of my go-to dresses. I like to keep the accessories quite simple, and a braid in the hair for a carefree (yet well thought about) look.
What is your go-to dress for Summer?
Today’s motto:
Until tomorrow….
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