Manicure Monday: Feeling retro in monochrome

My mam and my aunt came over from Ireland for a visit at the weekend, so it's been a pretty busy few days and I haven't had quite as much time as usual to arse around painting my nails. I stuck with my compliment-magnet tuxedo talons for as long as I could, but when the tuxes started to look a bit rough around the edges I slipped out of them and into something more comfortable (and quick to execute.)

Here's a quick pic of the tuxedos for anyone who didn't catch my tutorial on Beaut.ie or the snaps of them on Twitter last week... 

... and here are the white-on-black polka dots I'm wearing right this very second. 

There's something really appealing about a simple polka dot pattern on nails, though I did surprise myself with my colour choices. Two back-to-back B&W manicures must mean that The Artist has had a bigger impact on me that I realised! Incidentally, I loved the film; Himself didn't and complained that the second half dragged.

Silly boy.

NOTD: The Crackle Conundrum

While I was excited about the prospect of a crackle comeback in 2010 and own no fewer than four crackle topcoats, I have to admit that it's an effect I rarely wear on my nails.

When I do, I tend to pair the crackle polish with a glitter base or wear it as an accent nail to (hopefully) keep things from looking too grungy. Today is the realisation of a manicure that I thought of doing over a year ago but never quite got around to making a reality.

I bought Barry M Instant Nail Effects in White (£4/€5.95) with the express intention of layering it over a seriously glitzy gold glitter polish just like OPI Spark De Triomphe.

For today's manicure, I used one coat of Spark De Triomphe, gave it a few minutes to dry, and them popped on my white crackle topcoat.

As crackle colour combos go, I quite like this one and still prefer a glitter to a creme base, but ultimately I think crackle's just not for me.

I'm already itching to take it off!

London Reader Reminder: Stila Lipgloss Amnesty Tomorrow!

What:         The 'Stila Steal' Lipgloss Amnesty
When:        19th January 2012, from 10am
Where:       Harvey Nichols Knightsbridge
Small print: One lipgloss per customer while stocks last.

It's a grey gloomy damp squid* of a day, so I'm putting my New Year's Resolutions (gym, running, world peace) on hold and instead thinking about chucking some of my old, worn out beauty bits.

As luck (or a well-timed marketing campaign) would have it, Stila and Harvey Nicks London have joined forces and are holding a lipgloss amnesty tomorrow. It's a pretty simple concept: you bring in a crapped out lipgloss from any brand, they'll replace it with a shiny new complimentary Stila Lip Glaze (worth £13) in a colour of your choice without passing judgement on the hack of your cast-off.

Be rude not to pop along and relieve them of one, really.


* Possibly my favourite incorrect idiom ever, courtesy of Roy from The IT Crowd

Talon-tastic Thursday: The 12 Nails Of Christmas

We spent a brilliant couple of weeks at home in Ireland over Christmas and the New Year, and between trying to squeeze in visits to all our relatives and friends and spending quite a bit of time in the back arse of nowhere and going out every night bar two (my liver, groan!) it ended up being a bit of an Internet-free zone.

It wasn't a nail polish free zone, though. Oh no.

Here are some snapshots of 12 of the manicures I sported over the festive season (well, 11, technically. One is actually Himself's.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Welcome to all my new followers and huge thanks to the existing crew for your continued support. I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanza/winter solstice and here's to a brilliant 2012 x