Tuesday 4 September 2012

Summer Favourites TAG!

This is something a little different to what I normally do, but I thought that I should mix my posts up a little bit and let you know what products I have been loving this summer. So this is my tag post on my favourite products I have been loving this summer, and hopefully you can all join in so we can share favourite products and new brands we have discovered!   

There are 2 sections of the tag  a questions section on all your favourite products from the summer and then a a section dedicated to blogs I have been loving over the summer, they are all really simple and just a fun way to share each others blogs and favourite products which I thought would be fun to end the summer with!

Okay so onto the first section which is 10 questions about some other products you have been loving this summer.


1) What has been your favourite glitter polish this summer?
By far my most worn glitter polish of the summer is Models Own Ibiza Mix polish which is part of the collaboration with HedKandi.  It is such a versatile glitter polish that you can put it over any colour and it looks amazing.  Not only that but it screams summer and every time I have worn it I have got so many compliments on the polish.  I have done a full post on it which you can see HERE if you want, and if not I used it in my last post which you can see HERE.


2) Have you preferred to wear brights or pastels on your nails this summer?
Personally I don't tend to wear many really bright polishes on my fingernails, which you can probably tell from my past posts.  There are a few which I consider bright but none of them are neon colours and for that reason I would have to say pastels.  I find them a lot easier to wear, and they are often more versatile to wear together or with any outfit.

3) Have you discovered a new brand of nail varnish this summer?
This summer I have discovered my love for Ciate polishes, which I discovered in about June when I got my Purple Sherbet polish in a Marie Claire Magazine.  I did a full review back when I first got it which you can see HERE if you want, and since then I have worn it throughout the whole summer.  I love Ciate polishes and I am so glad that I picked it up to try because I will definitely be purchasing some more polishes of theirs in the future.


4) What is your most disappointing product of the summer?
Most of my purchases have lived up to what I hoped they would be like, but when I tried some nail wraps back in July they personally did not live up to my expectations.  You can see my original post on them HERE but I think that I will try giving nail wraps another go because I loved the look of them, I just hated that they lasted barely any time for the amount of money that you have to pay out for them.


5) What has been you favourite blog post of yours this summer?
I have to say that my favourite blog post is actually a series of posts that I did in August as part of Makeup Savvy's 15 Day Nail Varnish challenge.  I only participated in a few days but I wish I had been able to have a go at every theme.  It was a great way to test myself coming up with a new design every day, but it was also a great way to get new inspiration from other blogs and discover new bloggers! It was such a good experience and I definitely want to try and challenge myself to do more of these in the future.


6) What's your best nail bargain of the summer?
Probably my Ciate polish in Purple Sherbet because I got it in Marie Claire which cost me about £3.50 and the nail polish would normally have been around the £9 mark, so that was a definite saving on one of my new favourite polishes.

7) Have you followed any new trends this summer?
I liked the use of an accent nail this summer because it allowed me to experiment with colours and use brighter polishes to add a pop of colour into an everyday nail design without it looking to over the top.


8) Have you tried any new colours this summer that you never thought that you would?
At the very beginning of the summer I picked up 2 Miss Sporty nail varnishes in a peachy orange colour and a canary yellow shade which I normally wouldn't have gone near.  Although I would love to say I have worn these loads, to be honest I haven't, but I love using these in nail designs with other summery colours such as in the design HERE but I haven't quite found the best ways to wear them on their own, maybe next year!

9) What has been your most worn combination of colours this summer?
This is an easy question for me to answer, I have switched between a lot of single colours so that all my nails are the same, but if I wanted to go for an alternating nail colour combination I would always go back to the same one.  Lilac and mint!  This has been by far my favourite combination to wear this summer, at the moment I am wearing the combination that I featured in my last post which you can see HERE if you wish.

10) Will any of your summer polishes be following you through to the autumn?
I tend to wear much more subtle colours in the autumn, mostly nude colours, or goldy coppery tones so I haven't worn too many of these in the summer.  One colour that I have worn in the summer is Lanesburgh Place by Nails Inc which is a golden colour which I will definitely be wearing a lot through the autumn.  I might wear some of my pastel shades but when the sun starts to disappear I find this hard to come up with a design with these colours that isn't too out of place in duller days, but maybe this can be my new challenge.

Now on for the final part of my Tag, this summer I have discovered lots of new blogs which I previously hadn't been following.  So for this next part of the Tag I want you too name 10 new blogs that you have discovered this summer and let us know briefly why you have loved their blog and want to share it  with us.  No matter how big or small these blogs may be, I think that it's a great new way to share links to other blogs that some other bloggers might not have seen.

I could literally write a huge list of all the new blogs I have found over the summer but here are just are few, that are in no particular order that I have been loving for the past few months.

1) Emma from Imagination in Colour
I love Emma's reviews of products and how she tries such a variety of products and reviews them all.  She also uses such an array of products that aren't too expensive so everyone can go out and try them, and they always look so amazing on her nails that she makes me want to go out and buy all the products!  If you don't already follow her then you can visit her blog HERE.

2) Bazzia from Polish my mind
I absolutely love just how creative Bazzia is with all her designs, and all her posts always look flawless and make me very jealous that I am not that creative with my designs.  Also her reviews are also really lovely to the read and I just have really loved her blog over the past few months.  If you don't already follow her then you can visit her blog HERE.

3) Sharon from Behind Green Eyes
Her blogs are always really informative and I find that I always end up finding out something new by reading her posts! She also has some really creative and unusual designs that always make me want to try out after i've read her blog! If you don't already follow her then you can visit her blog HERE.

4) The Polishatorium
Her posts are always really clear and I find that her designs are also really clearly explained and make me think that I want to try them out!  She also reviews a variety of different polishes which is always interesting because you can always learn something new about a brand you had never heard of before. If you don't already follow her then you can visit her blog HERE.

5) Lacqueerisa
If only I could be as creative or so skilled at nail art as Lacqueerisa is, then I would be doing a lot more exciting nail designs!  I feel so inspired whenever I see a new design on her blog because she is so amazing at creating new ideas and designs.  I have tried a few in the past after seeing her blog and even if they don't turn out as well as hers I am always excited to have found a new technique to practice.  If you don't already follow her then you can visit her blog HERE.

6) Cuti - CLUE - les
I love all her posts because her nails always look amazing whatever colour or brand she uses!  I find her posts are always really interesting and she tells you exactly what you want to know about the polish, so you know whether it is something for you, and for me most of the time it means wanting to go out and buy the polish she has featured. If you don't already follow her then you can visit her blog HERE.

7) Lydia from Lydia's Nails
This blog is one of my most recent discoveries and it is one that I am very glad that I found.  She is relatively new to blogging but I love her designs and can tell that she will be hugely popular in the future!  I love all her designs, because they are something that I would have never have thought of doing which is always interesting to look at.  If you don't already follow her then you can visit her blog HERE.

8) Megan from Mega Nails
I adore the way that she manages to create amazing combinations of nail polishes as she layers different ones to create really unusual designs which always look amazing, and it makes me wonder how I can combine some different colours and polishes to create completely new looks which I hadn't thought of before! If you don't already follow her then you can visit her blog HERE.

9) Alexis from Glitter Tips
If you have ever thought that you have exhausted the designs for your nails, then you have not seen this blog!  It amazes me that she hasn't run out of totally unique ideas for her nails by this point.  Also every design is so gorgeous that I often wonder if there is a single design that she wouldn't be able to do! If you don't already follow her then you can visit her blog HERE.

10) Claire from Don't Eat Leather
Last but by no means least is this lovely blogger who has a lovely beauty and fashion blog with amazing ideas and trend setting designs that I love to look at for inspiration for some of my posts or if not just to look over her amazing designs and new products that she reviews.  If you don't already follow her then you can visit her blog HERE.

As I said at the beginning these are just a few of my favourite blogs of the summer that I have discovered, the list could honestly go on and on, but this post has been long enough any way so I thought 10 would be plenty so hopefully everyone can at least discover a new blog!

Thank you for reading through this mammoth long post (I do apologise) but hopefully you have found it interesting to see what polishes I have been loving this summer and also some new blogs which have been my summer reading.  I tag absolutely everyone who has read this post to do this tag on your blog, and leave a link in the comments section below because I would love to see your blog post on your summer favourites!

Thank you for sticking with me this summer as blogging has been a new thing for me but I am really enjoying it, and hopefully there will be many more seasonal favourite posts in the future!  Also to all my subscribers, thank you so much it means the world to me that you want to follow me!

Saturday 1 September 2012

Late Summer Sparkle

Today I am making the last of the sunny weather before it turns truly into autumn weather.  This is design I did quickly, and I think that it is a perfect combination that can be worn on these last days of sun before the grey clouds begin to roll in.  

This design is using colours that I have previously mentioned on this blog a few times, but I think they are so versatile and simple to bung on your nails and they still look really pretty and put together.  The purple and the green combination is girly and feminine whilst also not being a pale baby pink, which I prefer to wear.

I have used this combination a lot over the summer and loved the pastel shades of lilac and mint together.  The 2 colours I have used are Ciate Purple Sherbet which I have done a separate review on so if you want to find out more you can do see HERE, but if you were just wondering what the polish is like, it is a light lilac shade which is incredibly creamy, lasts a lifetime on your nails and is just generally a pleasure to apply.  

Unfortunately I got this product in a Marie Claire a few months ago so I am not sure if you can still buy it, but if you happen to see this then I would definitely recommend giving it a try as it is a new firm favourite of mine.  Also keep an eye out in Marie Claire as I recently picked up another Ciate polish that came with their magazine (review coming soon) so if you are interested in trying out a Ciate polish maybe check out Marie Claire incase they are giving away any in the near future!

For the minty green colour I have used Barry M's Mint Green which is number 304 and again a gorgeous shade which is a new firm spring/summer favourite of mine.  You can pick this up more easily in Boots, Superdrug or on the Barry M website for £2.99.  

I havent done a full review of this polish on here, but if you wanted me to do one then leave a comment below letting me know.  I can even do a comparison with another minty colour that I have used on HERE which is by NYC if you would be interested, but let me know.

This is a gorgeous colour and is a very wearable minty green colour, I say this because sometimes people ask how to wear minty colours and if they are hard to wear.  This is bright enough to be a pretty colour that is eye catching but not too over the top that you wouldn't feel comfortable wearing it!

I have added 2 coats of Models Own Ibiza Mix on top of these colours to give it a little bit of sparkle and this is perfect if you are heading to any late summer parties or even if there is a little bit of late summer sun, this polish can brighten up your day.  Again this is another favourite polishes that I have worn over the summer and I have done a review of this which if you want to know anything more about the colour and polish itself you can click HERE.  You can pick up Models Own from Boots and it retails for £5 but it is well worth the investment as the polish is gorgeous and you get so much for your money.

I hope you don't mind this summery post, I am well aware that it is the first day of September today but the late summer sun today has inspired me to go out wearing this combination.


Whats your favourite combination for this late summer sun?  Or what colour are you wearing this weekend?  Leave your answer in the comments below I would love to know.