Treat or treat: Halloween beauty bits

If you predict that a bit of me time will be in order tonight after painstakingly carving a pumpkin, being dragged trick or treating by the childer, or having your head wrecked completely by the noise of bangers and fireworks, well, this post is for you.

This selection of themed products for the day that's in it will hopefully keep you looking and feeling more glam then ghoul.

Happy Halloween!

BATH BREWS
Lush tend to go all out for Halloween and this year's no exception with a selection of spooky treats in store, including limited edition and strangely cute Skullduggery bath ballistics (above, €3.45, remind me a lot of Darth Vader) and Calacas shower jellies (€3.70.) Both are inspired by the Mexican celebrations for Día de los Muertos, the Day of the Dead, rather than Star Wars.

Allegedly.

Closer to home, Ceridwen's Cauldron bath melt (€5.45) is named for a legendary Welsh enchantress. The concoction is oat based to soothe and calm skin, and the muslin bag which contains it can also be used to gently exfoliate.

Apparently the recipe is based on a beautifying spell which, in its original incarnation, required that the bathwater be stirred with a hazel wand... and then spat in.

The update feels like a definite improvement.

MAGNETIC MAGIC
It's been around before in the shape of hard-to-get, limited edition releases, but this autumn magnetic nail polish is going mainstream.

Apply one coat of the magnetic polish, wave the included magic wand – sorry, magnet – over the top while it's still wet, and watch as fine metal filings in the formula shift to create unique patterns in the polish.

Give your wallet a fright with Nails Inc Magnetic Polish, €17.50 at Brown Thomas, Debenhams, and Littlewoods. At a comparatively weeny €8.99, 17 Magnetised Polish (above) is more treat than trick (available from Boots stores nationwide.)

I guess he liked it so he went and put a ring on it.

Just incase you've missed the breaking news on Facebook and Twitter... that amazing boyfriend of mine is now my fiancé.

(I can't believe I just typed that.)

OH. MY. GOD.

If I told you that I have the most ridiculously amazing boyfriend ever... 

... and that our 10 year anniversary is coming up...

... and then showed you these...

... could you guess what we're doing to mark the occasion?

Yeah. I was just going to make him a card, but this ups the ante slightly.


{image sources: 1. Telegraph; 2. Old Tom Foolery; 3. 4. 5. Orient Express}

Monday's mane attraction: Katy Perry in the pink

The pink hair (Manic Panic Cotton Candy Pink is similar), the lady tuxedo shirt, open bow tie and cummerbund, the crystal studded mic AND stand... 

Haterz gonna hate, but there was nothing I didn't love about Katy Perry's appearance on last night's X Factor.


{image sources: 1. via Glamour; 2. via Daily Mail; 3. via Glamour}

Talon-tastic Thursday: Polka dots and bling

Base: Orly Country Club Khaki
Diamond bling: OPI Spark De Triomphe
Black details: Done with a black nail art pen

My cousin got engaged recently (congrats again, Liz!) and I'd intended to wear a paint job with an occasion-appropriate diamond accent nail on the ring finger to her engagement party. Of course, since time didn't stop while I was scrambling to get ready, I had to scale back my ambitions and ended up just slapping on two coats of OPI Bring On The Bling while waiting for the train to arrive.

Anyway, now that I've finally gotten around to executing it I have to say I'm really pleased with this manicure. Polka dots and sparkles are two of my favourite things and I think the nude base keeps things looking chic rather than OTT.

What do you reckon?

The Steve Jobs post.

Despite feeling terribly sad when I read the news this morning, I wasn't going to say anything here about Steve Jobs' passing. Partly because I know that others have and will make a more eloquent job of it, and, well, partly because I'm not a Mac.

However, it's since occurred that my very first laptop - a turquoise clamshell iBook, the laptop I started writing on - was dreamed up by Steve Jobs. So was the first portable music player I bought myself - a pink iPod mini, purchased in the Chicago Apple store as a momento of my J1 summer in the city - which made the three-to-four hour daily commute to college and later to work bearable.

Steve Jobs was the man behind my first big Christmas present to Himself - a black iPod nano - and the first phone I owned that could really do more than phone calls and texts. I'm typing this on a MacBook Air. I'm thinking about bringing Himself's iPad to the hairdressers so that I can show them photos of the cut I want.

Of course, Steve Jobs did make me cry once, but I think for the day that's in it we can let that slide.

Like most people in the world who have been touched by his creations, his way of thinking, and and that speech at Stanford, I can honestly say that this brave, visionary man changed my life drastically and for the better.

So good night, Steve Jobs. And thank you for everything.

{image credits: 1. Apple; 2. via Broadsheet.ie}

Tights and sandals are awesome.

Now that we're into October and the amazing weather of last weekend has passed, there's a definite sense of autumn about the place. I know this duo won't be everyone's cup of tea, but I really, really like the look of tights worn with sandals as the leaves begin to fall. Pairing the two means you can continue to wear your lovely summer shoes but no longer have to worry about having your toenails painted or your legs shaved, and you're toasty warm.

What's not to love?

Sheer tights with sandals. That's what.

Whether you prefer them ribbed or smooth - ooh matron! - stick with opaque tights and a substantial shoe to really nail this look. If money's no object, look to Falke and Wolford (the latter have outlets in Kildare Village in Ireland and Bicester Village outside London) or check out Topshop and Oasis for more budget-friendly offerings that don't pill and do keep their shape, even when regularly subjected to the ravages of a washing machine.


{photo credits: 1. Eleonore Bridge; 2. Topshop; 3. Rue; 4. hyeyoungworld on Tumblr; 5. Peruvian Connection; 6. Blair E. on Lookbook; 7. The Cherry Blossom Girl; 8. Junebug S. on Lookbook, all via my Pinterest}

A weeny little China Glaze haul.

1. China Glaze Skyscraper
2. China Glaze In The City
3. China Glaze Flying Dragon

I don't usually go in for haul posts, where bloggers show off share cool stuff they've bought, but this is really more of a public service announcement so I'm making an exception.

Sally Salon Services are currently running a 3 for 2 on China Glaze polishes, including Crackles and the new Metro collection. I picked up these lovelies from my local yesterday for less than £13; that makes them 4 quid and change apiece.

Um, bargainous!

Find your nearest Sally store in the UK or Ireland here.

Just another Manicure Monday: @katespadeny skittle nails

Here's what I wore all weekend: a simple mix of prints, solid colours, and glitter inspired by Kate Spade's designs.

L-R: OPI Elephantastic Pink, black polka dots on Clarins French White, China Glaze For Audrey, leopard print on Orly Country Club Khaki, Essence Make It Golden