My Top Ten Christmas Party Essentials

As November (and all it's feebly grown moustaches) draws to a close and we get to start opening our advent calendars, we're reminded that Party Season is upon us. So...WHAT THE HELL DO I WEAR?! Whether that's on the body, face, feet or head, it's a question that plagues even the most decisive Christmas Party Go-ers. Well here is my list of party essentials - you can't go wrong :D

1. A Badass Manicure. It would be lovely if we could all go to a salon all the time, but with the easy Nail Art tricks that are sold in the drug stores these days, namely crackle topcoats, glitters and magnetized polishes, it doesn't take a lot of effort to go for statement fingers! For this eye-catching manicure, all I did was paint the base in Nails Inc deep, red Tate, and used a standard kitchen sponge to dab Claire's Gold Holographic Glitter Topcoat on to the tips. The colour combo is very festive, and just imagine that holo glitter under the disco lights!

Alternatively, make a statement with Magnetized polishes, like this one from 17:

2. Sequined Numbers are big for Parties this season, here are a few that really caught my eye:

This is the Motel Rocks Gabby Dress (it also comes in gold) and is up for sale today for £58 - they're having a 20% off sale today as well!

From New Look for £79.99

Or keep it slightly more casual with this sequined play suit from Topshop for £60.

3. Party Feet - no-one wants to go home early because of sore feet, Scholl Party Feet help to keep you on the dance floor!

 

 4. Statement Tights are big for the party season, especially the mock-suspender variety. I love the selection that Marks and Spencer have to offer, and you know the quality will be good from M&S!

5. Front Cover Makeup Kits are a necessity in my eyes. Their kits are perfect for special occasions, and all come with detailed tutorials on how to create the looks on the covers. The pigment powders especially are incredibly pigmented and will stay put all night! I recommend A Billion Stars and Moon Dust particularly - perfect for creating metallic eyes that are bang on trend.

Moon Dust

A Billion Stars

Here is a look that I created using the pigment powders from Moon Dust:

The Gold is so stunning!

6.  Body Shop - The Sparkler. I prefer it in gold (though it comes in pink, also) and it comes with a puff for even distribution - a light dusting on tanned legs makes them look all together more luscious!

7. Volumizing Powder - There are a lot of these on the market, from Schwarzkopf to Tresemme to Osis. They really help to boost hair full of volume, and doesn't weigh down fine or limp hair like a wax or spray might. You can carry it in your handbag for an instant boost if your 'do starts to drop!

8. Lush Ayesha Fresh Face-Mask - Not only is it described as a "temporary face-lift" due to all it's age-defying minerals, fruit enzymes and anti-oxidants, it makes a great base for your makeup whatever you age. For fresh looking skin before the party, whack it on!

9. Big, Glam Hair! Babyliss Curling Wand - I've seen numerous testimonials to this curler on YouTube (but for some reason when I went to buy it, I was swayed by the Babyliss Glamour Waves tong instead - which I cannot get a good effect with at all). Whether you want tight curls, or a brushed-out, loose wave you can achieve it easily with this affordable, versatile styling tool -

10. Last but not least, Full On Lashes are a must have for any party. My favourite mascara for this is the Max Factor False Lash Effect Fusion and I wouldn't use anything else, now! Kiss have also launched some easy to apply lashes that can give a natural look a glamorous edge

Here it is in action:

 

So there are my top ten essentials for not only looking fabulous, but staying fabulous throughout the night! Also, if your Christmas 'do is preceded by a meal (which office 'dos often are!) then I also recommend a good pair of control pants! Got to suck in that food baby! I hope this has given you a good idea of some party essentials, or at least got you excited for Christmas and New Years Parties!

Zoya Nail Polish in Holly with an accent nail of Zoya Rina!

Zoya Holly with an accent nail of Zoya Holly topped with Rina.

We really love the accent nail trend here at Zoya. In this posting Concrete and Nail Polish creates the look with each of the new Zoya Gems and Jewels Collection colors and even has a great application tip (see below) for applying the bar glitters...
"Rina is a mix of fine green shimmer, small green bar glitter that flashes blue and a bit of small holographic bar glitter. I have always thought that bar glitter was just gross and hairy looking. Rina, however, is really gorgeous. It looks like super sparkly vinyl or astroturf when layered over Holly. So cool! Rina's formula is very nice too. I recommend running your finger along your free edge just to make sure that no bar glitter is hanging off. Just takes a second and made a big difference."
concrete and nailpolish

There are posts for the entire Zoya Holiday Nail Polish collection as well here.

Zoya is the new color of Fashion!

Zoya Gems and Jewels, set to the tune of “I Have a Little Dreidel” - Awesome!

MUST READ BEAUTY BLOG....

Some bloggers just work magic with words... check out this fun new posting on the Zoya Gems and Jewels Holiday Nail Polish collection by the talented Adina at Krasey Beauty!

""We are all well-versed in the songs of Christmas, so why not go with a Chanukah song, instead. Here is Zoya Gems and Jewels, set to the tune of “I Have a Little Dreidel”.""

Krasey Beauty 

First Look: Scrangie unwraps a Zoya Color Box Gift Set

They're here!!!
Get your Zoya Color Boxes today.
Twelve unique Zoya Nail Polish trios to choose from - each custom curated by the Zoya Color Expert and individually boxed and wrapped to make this season of gift giving easier than ever before.
Zoya Color Box Gift Sets - just $24 


Below...
Scrangie - self proclaimed lacquerhead  - opens her first wrapped Zoya Color Box Gift Set and shows it off!

Zoya Nail Polish on La Petite Blog

Zoya Zoya Zoya!

Over 300 gorgeous Zoya Nail Polish colors to choose from and counting...

Le Petite Blog wants them all and is well on her way to getting there!

"Over three hundred colours to choose from? Check. Door-step delivery? Check.  Mon petites, we all know an outfit isn't complete without co-ordinated nails, after all, there is nothing natural about glamour!  From hot corals and baby pinks to essential vampish reds and cherries to holiday party worthy injections of gold and a high-gloss finish gives your nails a thoroughly modern edge. Perfect for teaming with each season's everchanging trends, make sure you're first in line for these gorgeous hauter then haute colors."

Le Petite Blog

Zoya is the new color of Fashion!
www.zoya.com
 

Orly Nite Owl

Good Morning,

I was itching to put on a nude color.  I just purchased Orly Nite Owl from Bird's Of A Feather Collection Fall 2011 I love it!!.  Such a gorgeous taupe light brown packed full of shimmer.  The application went on smoothly with 2 coats and I also applied topcoat.

As you can see I am down to nubs.  I think I will keep them short for awhile

Did you pick up any from this collection?  

Until next time please have a great nail polish day. (✿◠‿◠)

Holiday Sprinkles

Warm up the hot chocolate and the chai, it's Christmas time!

I got in the spirit today by decorating the office for the holidays. For those that don't know, Andy and I work together and live together. We're interns, but we've worked there just shy of a year. So tasks like decorating, planning parties and making lunch runs aren't uncommon at this point in our jobs. I consider it a perk most of the time.

Decorating for the holidays means putting up lights, trees and ribbon. The trees and ribbon were easy, but when it came time to put up the lights, there were hurdles. Hurdles meaning dead bulbs...meaning half-lit strings of lights. Zuzu says that every time a bell rings, an angel gets it wings. Well, every time a bulb burns out, a devil gets its horns and proceeds to royally screw up your next few hours.

Commence unplugging and plugging in of suspected burned out bulbs causing the lackluster light display. What do you get? Nada. Nothing great or grand or Christmas Vacation overkill. Just the same stupid lights, staying same stupid broken. :(

BUT! I refuse to Grinch out. So I took a little inspiration from Ashesela at Art Evolve and whipped together a rather easy and scrumptuous manicure, despite the ruined right hand thumb. Should've taken the advice I've seen that says never to use your nails as a tool. You'll also notice the festive red background instead of my usual black.

These holiday sprinkles are brought to you by Zoya Ginessa and China Glaze Twinkle Lights. It's one of the more simple manicures I've featured on my blog thus far, but what's the harm in that?

I dig it, and this is only the first of many holiday manicures waiting in the wing.

A Glamorous Birthday!

That's right.. it's my birthday! Hooray! I wish I could give you all a gigantic piece of cake. :O

This is the perfect day to wear my beloved Glamour. I applied one coat of Chuck from Essence and two coats of OPI DS - Glamour. LOVE.

Thanks for watching!

                                                                                                                                                                         image source

ADORme - Metallic Green

I've been so busy lately that I haven't done any swatching, and I've only been changing my mani every two - three days. One of those manis was an amazing dark blue glitter franken that I made, but stupid me only photographed it in VGA mode (which is what I set the camera to when taking photos of the colour morphing powder/spectraflair envelopes before I post them).  So the photos I took of that mani are just terrible and I refuse to post them here.  I will have to redo them.

After this post I officially have no spare swatch photos to post! 

This polish is one my mum picked up at the local dollar shop.  The brand is ADORme and they stink to high heaven.  But the polish is great.  It wore well and covered in two coats easily.  In fact it would probably be ok to stamp with as well.

I love foil finishes, and I didn't have one this colour in my collection, so it was a great score.  It was also under $2.

I love finding these random brands from China, the problem is that next time you visit the store it's unlikely that you will see the same brand or colours again.  So if you see something you like, grab it then.

Also, I'm looking for some recommendations for a cuticle remover.  The ones that you paint around your nails and they dissolve the dead skin off the edge of your nail near the cuticle.  If anyone has a good recommendation I'd be very grateful.

My Top Ten Favourite Nail/Beauty Blogs

I thought I'd collect together a list of my ten "most recommended" Nail/Beauty blogs. I say "most recommended" because they are simply my opinion! There's some great stuff out there and some really inspirational artwork!

In no particular order...

1. The absolute authority on polish, if you want to see a swatch, chances are its up on here somewhere! All Laquered Up

http://www.alllacqueredup.com/

2. Lovely girl, Lovely blog, you can tell that so much effort goes into her incredibly detailed posts, she's so interactive with her readers, and makes the cutest videos, too - The London Lipgloss

http://thelondonlipgloss.blogspot.com/

3. Erika has been going through some rough stuff recently, I really hope she comes back soon. Whether she posts again or not, her archives are like my own, personal Nail Art Bible. She is incredible! Chloe's Nails.

http://chloesnails.blogspot.com/

4. I've been fascinated by her designs from the beginning, as she's inspired by the same things I am - movies, music, video games and general cool stuff (because we are SO cool). She also has the motivation to post nearly everyday so there's always something new from her to oggle at! The Nailasaurus.

http://nailasaurus.blogspot.com/

5. The last post I read of hers was entitled "MISSION MERMAID", with inspiration for turquoise hair. Nuff said. Beauty's Bad Habit.

http://beautysbadhabitblog.blogspot.com/

6. Robin Moses is a professional nail artist and does countless youtube tutorials on her designs, though don't ever expect yours to come out as good as hers, because she is a bloody genius. She also has a blogspot!

http://robinmosesnailart.blogspot.com/

7. Corrie runs DizzyBrunette3 which is a great blog to read. Her posts are always really varied, with videos thrown in, and hilariously written. Plus, she's a little stunner.

http://www.dizzybrunette3.com

8. Hair Romance - My hair will never do what I want it to, no matter what I try, so I sit at my laptop and paw over her amazing hair and cry myself a river.

http://www.hairromance.com/

9. Polish Art Addction - this blog is aptly named, and I love all the Nail Art that Leslie does that are inspired by cartoons :) fun!

 http://polishartaddiction.blogspot.com/

10. Emerald Sparkled - her nails are always neat and perfectly painted. Her designs are often inspired by her life which is sweet!

http://www.emeraldsparkled.com/

BONUS TIME

I thought I'd pop in my favourite company blogs as well:

WAH Nails Tumblr - if you don't know who they are, you should. Immediately. GO!

http://wah-nails.com/

GlossyBox Blog - Always engaging and useful posts as well as competitions. I feel like it helps you know the people who are behind the company, and I always learn something new from their posts!

http://blog.glossybox.co.uk/

I hope there's something interesting in there for you! I know most of these blogs are quite well known, but I thought I would be truly honest about what I read, and they are popular for a reason - they're really good! This is only a small selection of what I read, and I would love to hear any other suggestions, or if you'd like me to check out YOUR blog, pop it in the comments below - a one time only opportunity to link-spam me haha! :D

Golden Rose 132

Hello loves! Another short and sweet post today to show you one of the manis I wore last week. I'm slowly catching up with all the stuff that I haven't had time to post. This one is another limited availability brand (mostly available in Eastern Europe), but I think Golden Rose polishes are also available in some parts of the US. I promise that after this one I'm gonna post some widely available polishes for you! So here's Golden Rose 132! 

indoors, artificial light

This is a gorgeous sky blue with a subtle shimmer in it. It looks a bit more vibrant in these pictures than in real life. The problem with these colors is that they are usually very sheer. I applied 3 coats of this and there's still visible nail line on some of my nails. It also dried with bubbles on two of my nails, so that's another drawback. 

a non-light box picture to better show the shimmer

I wore this for about 4 days with no chipping and only minor tip wear (the kind that is unnoticeable with such a light color). It was kinda surprising for a polish that was about 1 euro. So if you are patient enough to apply a lot of coats and lucky enough to not get any bubbles, this is a great color to have. Unfortunately I'm not patient at all and I tend to avoid colors that need more than 2 coats. I'm not sure I'm gonna wear this much. 

So what do you think about this polish? Are you willing to apply a lot of coats for the sake of a gorgeous color?

Studly Stubs

Alliteration. It's hard not to use it. Look at my blog titles thus far. See a pattern? Of course you do, because it's alliteration. Alliteration is "the repetition of a particular sound in the first syllables of a series of words or phrases" and in my case, the first letter of the words in the phrase. "Pretty Pinks", "Glutton for Glitter", "Smooshed Skittles." I'm totally guilty of alliteration obsession.

It comes as no surprise then that today's manicure, while sophisticated and sleek, comes with another doofy title, "Studly Stubs." I may just make a thesaurus to reference when talking about hands, fingers, or nails.

The dark brown Get in the Expresso Lane (OPI) almost looks black both in the images shown, and in real life. There's such a small strip of it showing, and it's contrasting so vividly against the gold of Passion (China Glaze), that the rich brown flavor is lost. No mind though, I was going for deep and dark.

So, superfluous alliteration sidelined, is this sick? Would you want to wear it awhile? Would that damn detailing drive you daft?

;)

Early morning edit. This next week, particularly Thursday, does not bode well for my skin or nails...

Zoya Cynthia featured in Get Married Magazine

 

Zoya Nail Polish in Cynthia is an editors pick by Get Married Magazine for the Winter Bridal Season.

The unexpected and beautiful are combined in the smoky and something blue nail polish color of Zoya Cynthia. It's a lovely choice for Bridesmaids or maybe even the bolder Bride herself. Bonus... this long-wearing color also transitions easily from the wedding itself to the beach for those rushing off to honeymoon in a romantic warm hide-a-way

Not a blue bride? No problem. Zoya has over 300 shades to choose from. Use our convenient Zoya Color Finder to find your perfect shade.

Vegan friendly, ultra long-wearing, glossy nail lacquers by Zoya are free of harmful industrial chemicals like toluene, camphor, formaldehyde, formaldehyde resins or dibutyl phthalate (DBP) that are known to cause cancer and birth defects.

 

As always, each and every Zoya color is made for women so we name them after women.

Sug. Retail $8.00 per 0.5 fl.oz. bottle (US).

Zoya is the new color of fashion!

www.zoya.com

Local brand test: Farmec 355

Hello my lovelies! How's your Monday going so far? Mine just got a little better because I finally got a good news (first one in ages). I have a review for you today, that I've been meaning to post for a long time now. Photos are older, from this summer when there was still sun and they are not so good. You can see I have improved my skills in the last months. Most of my followers won't have access to this polish because it's a local brand and that's why I've been putting off posting this. But I started this blog in order to post reviews of stuff that you can't really find info about on the internet and I hope this will be useful to someone.

Farmec is a beauty company that comes from my city and is actually very famous around here. The products are cheap, but usually surprisingly good. I can remember using these cosmetics since I was very young. One day I saw some Farmec nail polishes at the store near me and thought I’d do a little experiment.  Little did I know how good this experiment would turn out.

indoors, natural light

Color:

Farmec 355 is a berry colored creme. It was very hard to capture on camera (it's not as pink as it looks above) and that’s why I’ve included a nail wheel picture that looks closer to the real color. I’m not a lover of reds and pinks. I hardly ever use them, but this color is just gorgeous. It’s not too pink, yet very feminine and not boring at all.

Application:

This polish applies like a dream. The brush is great (medium size), the quality is great and all this makes for a flawless application. It’s very opaque but I would still use two coats for full coverage. And on top of all the good stuff mentioned before, it also dries super fast and very shiny. I didn’t use any top coat in these pictures.

Durability:

Another winner here also.  I wore this for a week with it only chipping on the last day, and that probably was my fault anyway. This polish can hold up to any OPI or China Glaze for only a fraction of the price.

oh so shiny without top coat (please excuse the cuticle oil)

Verdict:

This is one of the best quality polishes I own. Seriously, if you see a shade of this that you like, don’t hesitate. You won’t be sorry! The only drawback is they have a limited shade range and it’s mostly pinks and reds. I sure hope they will make some fun shades soon. Other than that, good job Farmec!