Autumn Nails!

Woodland creatures are set to take off in a big way in the fashion world this Autumn and Winter. I decided to paint an owl, a fox and a little squirrel on my index, middle and ring fingers. Then I added an autumnal gradient with a tree silhouette on my big thumb and pinky finger.

The colours I used to create this look are:

GOSH - 596 Miss Mole

GOSH - 570 Peachy

New York Colour- 298 High Line Green

Rimmel London I heart Lasting Finish - 030 Double Decker Red

Rimmel London I heart Lasting Finish - 080 Black Cab

Rimmel London I heart Lasting Finish - 805 Grey Matter

Rimmel London Nail Tip Whitener

Argan Oil, Liquid Gold?

Argan oil is a plant oil produced from the kernels of the Argan tree found naturally only in Morocco. For centuries women in Morocco have used Argan Oil as a nutritional supplement, an all-purpose cosmetic and even as a favourite ingredient in foods. Of course when other people saw how healthy and young these Moroccans skin and hair looked word spread and nowadays Argan Oil is often referred to as "liquid gold". Why you ask? With twice as much Vitamin E as olive oil and essential fatty acids like omega 6 and omega 9, this versatile and healing oil improves skin, hair and nail strength almost instantaneously. Which basically means that this is an all-natural, wonder product that I think really isn't talked about enough. However, see for yourself, I'm about to list the  many benefits of using Argan oil on your hair, skin and nails.

1. Hair

• Argan oil moisturises both hair and scalp for a youthful softness.
• This means that it rejuvenates hair growth.
• Argan oil also is capable of restoring dry and damaged hair to a natural, healthy condition.

2. Skin

• Argan oil moisturises skin so that wrinkles are diminished and skin is softened.
• Reduces the signs of ageing caused by stress, pollution, the sun and smoking.
• It also has the ability to combat  eczema, psoriasis, acne and stretch marks.

3. Nails

• Strengthens nails naturally using vitamin E and squalene.
• Argan oil also enhances circulation and nerve performance to make nails healthier.

Impressed by this heavy-duty, all-purpose beauty product? It's simple to use, you just pour out a very small (a little goes a long way here) amount of the oil into the palm of your hand. Rub your hands together to warm up the argan oil as it is most effective when warm. Then smooth your hands through your hair, rub the oil along your skin and massage it into your cuticles and nails. You can buy Argan oil in most pharmacies across the country at around €5 for a small bottle. If you'd like to go for a pricer option then you could purchase 'Moroccan Oil' at €38 for a 100ml bottle. However, if you (like me) are perpetually broke but always looking for a cheap beauty fix look no further than your nearest Penneys. There it is only €2.50 for an 18ml bottle of 'Hask' argan oil which works out at €13.89 for 100ml. The best part is if you compare the 'Hask' argan oil to it's pricier counterpart there are very few differences in the ingredients except that the 'Moroccan Oil' doesn't have the vitamin E and keratin amino acids that the 'Hask' one does. These ingredients included in the 'Hask' argan oil are excellent for improving hairs condition. Could the cheaper alternative actually be better than the product almost three times as expensive? I guess it's up to you to decide but I can safely say that I am very happy with my cheap multi-purpose argan oil, the benefits are seen almost immediately and the results are fantastic!

Cookie Monster Nails!

Om nom nom nom, cookie cookie cookie? Yes, the Cookie Monster from The Sesame Street has made it to my nails and I'm about to show you guys just how easy it is to do this nail art look yourselves!

You will need:

Dotting tools (which I talk more about here)

Small paintbrush/striper brush (which I talk about here again)

Clear base/topcoat

Blue Nail Polish - Catrice 400 Blue Cara Ciao

White Nail Polish - Rimmel London Nail Tip Whitener

Black Nail Polish - Rimmel London I love Lasting Finish 080 Black Cab

Light Brown Polish - Gosh 596 Miss Mole

Dark Brown Polish - Catrice 720 Bruno Brownani

Cotton Buds

Nail Polish remover

This is a really simple tutorial with only eleven easy to follow steps. It took me about a half hour to do this look from start to finish including drying time. Now enough preamble, down to the fun stuff!

The Cookie Monster Nail

Step 1: Take your blue polish and paint a semicircle of blue about half way down your nail.

Step 2: Take your largest dotting tool and dip it in the black polish. Dot this in two circles in the centre of the semicircles edge.

Step 3: Take your next smallest dotting tool, coat it in your white polish. Dab two white circles within the black ones.

Step 4: To make your Cookie Monster look as crazy as possible give him wandering eyes by dotting two small black dots looking in opposite directions inside the white circles.

Step 5: Take a very small brush and dip it into your black polish. Paint a smiling, wide open mouth just a little beneath the eyes.

Step 6: Dip a cotton bud in nail polish remover and clean up any messy bits. Use a clear topcoat to seal in and protect your design.

The half-eaten Cookie Nail

Step 1: Paint your entire nail blue.

Step 2: Paint a semi circle two thirds of the way down your nail in your lighter brown colour.

Step 3: Dip your small brush into your darker brown polish, use this to paint a jagged edge along the semicircle giving the cookie it's half-eaten look.

Step 4: Take your smallest dotting tool and dip it in your darker brown. Dot this at random inside the semi circle so that it looks like chocolate chips.

Step 5: Once again, dip a cotton bud into nail polish remover and clean up any messy bits. Then use your clear topcoat to give the nail a polished finish.

In eleven simple steps you've managed to nail the Cookie Monster nail art look. Now that's what I call tasty!

Winter Essentials

Now that the sunny days of summer are a distant memory and umbrellas are a necessity whenever you leave the house, I've started enjoying the things that make winter a little more bearable. Like hot chocolate with the little marshmallows on top, comfy knitted jumpers and of course the big fuzzy slipper socks! With this change in weather I've decided to let you all know what I consider to be my winter essentials.

1. Candles

I know that you can use candles any time of the year but I think there's nothing nicer than lighting a lovely scented candle while the rain is pelting against the windows. It just makes me feel so cosy! The candle above is from the Yankee Candle range which is my favourite for gorgeous scents. My candle is Waikiki Melon scented and smells of exotic juicy melons and sweet oranges. As soon as you light the candle it fills the room with its gorgeous scent but never gets overpowering. I bought this candle in the Yankee Candle store in Stephen's Green shopping centre in Dublin. This candle is in the medium sized jar and cost me €19.95. This may seem pricey for a candle but they really do last an incredibly long time. I've had this candle since before October last year and look how little has burnt down! The best part about these Yankee candles is that if you don't feel like having a candle lit in your room, you can just take the lid off the jar and the divine smell still fills the room! You can get these candles in all sorts of sizes and scents ranging from as little as €1.50 to €26.95. If you go on line to www.yankee.ie you'll be able to find some of their 'fragrance of the month' candles on special offer. You can find Yankee candles easily in gift shops, pharmacies and Yankee Candle stores across the country.

2. Hand Cream

The colder the air gets, the harsher the weather feels on your skin, especially on extremities like your hands and face. While I always use a good face moisturiser I usually don't use a hand cream. During the colder months though, I find that the skin on my hands is left feeling dry and hard. To treat my mitts I use this 2 in 1 hand and nail cream from Superdrug. It's specially formulated with Keratin and Pro-Vitamin B5 to moisturise and soften skin, whilst strengthening nails. I've found that, used regularly, it helps give me stronger nails (making them less likely to split, flake or break). This 2 in 1 cream is easily absorbed and leaves my hands feeling soft, smooth and supple. The 150ml bottle I got only cost me €2.35 in Superdrug and lasts ages. Total bargain!

3. Dark Nail Polish

Again, I know we can wear whatever nail polish we want whenever we want but I still feel like summer months call for brighter more vibrant polishes while the colder months call for dark, jewel tones and deep, rich hues. I personally love a deep shade of burgundy or a midnight blue on my nails but my favourite winter polish you ask? Nails inc. 411 Elm Park Gardens, a gorgeously dark shade of green. I love that it's so dark it's almost black because I often feel like black on its own is just too dark for my nails whereas this colour has the darkness of a black nail colour while the green adds depth to it. This colour has a gorgeously rich, polished finish. The bottle was a total bargain too as I got it in a pack of four nails inc. polishes in TkMaxx for €18.90. Considering that these luxurious polishes are usually €16.50 on their own I was delighted with my find!

4. Lip Scrub

I've dedicated an entire post to this lip scrub already but when it comes to winter weather there's really no greater saviour for lips than my Lush Lip Scrub! The cold air dries out lips leaving them looking flaky and chapped. A good lip scrub is a must during these months and My Boy Lollipop Lip Scrub from Lush Cosmetics really does the job.This lip scrub uses fine castor sugar grains to gently buff and remove flaky dead skin. This is best achieved by dabbing your fingertip into the pot and once a few grains are stuck to your finger taking it and rubbing it in small circles across both your lower and upper lip working into the corners from the centre to ensure the skin on your lips is all fresh and clean. Then the jojoba oil acts, soaking into the newly revealed skin, it moisturises and nourishes your fresh and flake free lips. It costs €8, which may seem pricey for a small 25g pot but I've had mine for nine months or so and there's still more than half the pot left! Definitely an investment I don't mind making. These pots come in various flavours and can be bought in any Lush Cosmetics store.

5. Vampy Lips

I am a huge fan of dark lip colours and love breaking them out again in the autumn! My favourite from my collection of lipsticks and stains is actually quite inexpensive. It's the Rimmel London 'Lasting Finish Matte' by Kate Moss in 107. It's a gorgeous dark, berry red colour with a matte finish. However unlike a lot of other (even more expensive) brands of matte lipstick I found that this one does not dry out my  lips and is really comfortable to wear. The intense velvety colour and in-season matte finish all make this the perfect autumn/winter lipstick. It doesn't hurt that this lipstick doesn't feather or bleed and lasts up to four hours before needing to reapply! The best part though is the price tag. €6.99 for the perfect winter lipstick? Yes please!

Ok, ok, I'll admit, these might not necessarily be winter essentials as such but they definitely help make my cosy, snuggled up wintery nights far more enjoyable! So tell me, what are your winter essentials?

UD Supercurl Mascara Review

Urban Decay has been my go-to brand for eye shadows for the last five years. My family and friends all know that if they're stuck for a present for me all they have to do is pick up a UD palette and I'll be over the moon! However, I'd never tried any of their other products until my Mom got me a set last Christmas that included a travel size Urban Decay 'Supercurl Curling Mascara'. I never really used mascara much before this because no matter how many I tried from various brands I just couldn't get a mascara that would last the day without ending up giving me very attractive panda eyes. The ones that came close to staying on my lashes instead of streaking down my cheeks would clump my lashes together and dry them out. So I tended to avoid the stuff as much as possible. However when a mascara claims to have 'super sculpting polymers' who am I to not at least try it?

I don't think I've ever been as impressed by a make up product ever. The protein-packed mascara boosted, curled and sculpted my lashes! The Supercurl Curling mascara has ingredients like glycoprotein for thicker lashes, moringa seeds to help define each individual lashes curl, then there's meadowfoam seed oil and Shea butter for conditioning and smoothing. These ingredients made my lashes look sleek, smooth and feathery-soft, just how I'd always wanted them to look! You can see the results for yourself below.

The above picture shows me, sans mascara and eyeshadow (gasp!) I only have on a smidgen of foundation to make me look human. I left my eyes bare so you can really see the improvement made by this mascara with no help from eyeliner or shadows.

See how much longer and fuller my lashes look! This is after two coats of my Supercurl Curling Mascara. They weren't lying either...it really does Supercurl! 

This mascara lasts literally all day for me, it doesn't budge come rain or shine, from once I put it on in the morning to when I remove it at night and the craziest part is, it's not even waterproof and yet it has such incredible staying power! The one thing I found it hard to get used to was the 'moulded and curved new technology wand'. It's slightly curved and the bristles were less like brush bristles and more like plastic stumps. However this seemed to help separate and define the lashes in such a way that the curl in your lashes lasted all day. The main difference with this brush head was trying to remember not to wiggle the brush from side to side. With this brush doing that only clumps your lashes together. Instead you need to start at the base of your lashes and stroke upwards separating and curling your lashes as you go.

Finally, one of the things i adore about Urban Decay is their packaging. They always have excellent quality product in stunning containers. This mascara is no exception as it is in a gorgeous mirrored gunmetal tube, embellished with swirling black scrolls in delicate floral designs that give this the girly edgy vibe that Urban Decay always capture so well.

If you're still in search of the perfect mascara for you then I highly recommend the Supercurl Curling Mascara. It costs €22 in Debenhams (although it's on sale at the moment here at debenhams for €19.80!) So tell me, have you guys found the perfect mascara yet? Or have you tales of clumping, panda eye giving miseries you need to warn others away from?

'Friends' Nails!

Could these nails be any more Friends orientated?! (Excuse me, channeling my inner Chandler!) But yes, the summer, for me, has meant watching reruns of Friends pretty much every evening. So the hit TV show was my inspiration for my nails this week!

Excuse the mess on my thumb nail, I would have used a cotton bud dipped in nail polish remover but I'm away from home at the moment and because I'd lose my head if it wasn't attached to my shoulders I forgot my nail polish remover (le gasp!).

If you've watched Friends as religiously as I have I'm sure you can guess what's on each nail. However, on the off chance you can't, let me break it down for you. The Friends logo stretches across my thumb and pinky nails, the Central Perk coffee shop sign is on my index, then there's the peephole from the door in Monica's apartment on my middle fingernail and of course no Friends mani would be complete without Smelly Cat on my ring finger!

Now, I must admit I used a lot of colours for this. Here is the list:

Nails inc - 411 Elm Park Gardens

Nails inc - 042 Hampstead Gardens

Nails inc - 210 Floral Street

Catrice - Blue Cara Ciao

Catrice - 700 Birdy Reloaded!

Gosh - 571 Wild Lilac

Rimmel London I love Lasting Finish - 030 Double Decker Red

Rimmel London I love Lasting Finish - 080 Black Cab

Rimmel London 60 Seconds - 805 Grey Matter

The only tools I used for this were my set of dotting tools and cocktail sticks. The details took about a half hour/ forty minutes to do but I had time and had always wanted to see if I could actually do a Friends manicure! If you had been painting this what iconic Friends related things/ phrases would you have used? I must admit, I had thought about painting "we were on a break" instead of Smelly Cat!

Confetti Vs Grafitti

On a recent trip to Limerick I spent a small fortune in Superdrug. On my mad sale-induced shopping spree I spotted a glorious nail polish, similar to one that's a good deal more expensive. So of course, in the name of blogging I had to pick one up for a review! Here I am going to compare L'oreal Color Riche Nail Top Coat in 'Confettis' to Nails Inc. Graffiti Polish in 'Brick Lane'.

The Graffiti polish cost €16.50 and can be bought in Debenhams. On the other hand the Confetti polish only set me back €6.45 and can be purchased in pretty much any pharmacy across the country. Is the difference in price warranted? I'll let the swatches speak for themselves! Both polishes have been painted over the Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure polish in 540 'Frutti Petutie'.

First we'll look at the L'oreal number.

This gorgeous polish applies smoothly and with no trouble whatsoever. It's a clear polish with tiny hexagonal black and white coloured glitters varying in size in it. With just one coat (as seen above) the Confetti polish gives my nails a speckled look similar to that of a birds egg. It's a very quick drying polish and even with the speckles in it, dries smoothly with little to no bumps left on the surface of the nail. This polish is also pretty easy to remove which is rare in textured polishes.

Now, onto the Nails Inc. polish.

This Graffiti polish offers a completely different look once out of the bottle and applied to my nails. It's filled to bursting with hexagonal black and white glitters, smaller circular black sequins, black and white strands and teeny tiny black and white speckles. 'Brick Lane' clearly has far more in it which would explain it's price. I found this polish quite hard to work with though. With all those sequins and strands it makes for a very thick lumpy polish that is hard to manipulate evenly over your nail. It also takes a little longer than the L'oreal polish to dry and it dried far more bumpy and rough than the other polish too. However, I must admit, it does look really unique and edgy!

I suppose it really depends on what your personal preference is. Do you want a louder look with more variety? Then I would definitely recommend splurging and picking up the Nails Inc. one. However, if you're just looking for a simple nail art look that takes minimal effort and still catches people's eyes then I'd buy the L'oreal Confettis number. It gives a lovely simple, speckled finish and you can save yourself just over a tenner!