Summer Nails with Essence and Rimmel

There’s something about the warmer weather that makes me want to have bold, bright and beautiful nails- in the winter I’m not so fussed, perhaps because my hands are mostly hidden by gloves. That being said, I talk an awful lot about painting my nails in the spring and summer months but I still seem to rarely get round to it. I blame work a lot, but at the moment as I’m not doing my usual role I don’t even have that excuse. Thankfully I have some gorgeous new nail polishes to bring on the motivation.
First up I have this selection of colour boost high pigment nail paints c/o my friends at essence. These cost a bargainous £1.80 each (available at Wilko stores and online) and promise high coverage and shiny finish in just one coat.

The swatches are indeed just one coat and they really do deliver on that promise, I’m especially fond of the duck egg blue colour- shade 06: instant happiness for a pretty pastel touch. I highly recommend these nail polishes as an affordable and efficient way to bring your manicure up to date.

Next up is the beach ready 2 step super gel nail collection c/o Rimmel (at Boots and Superdrug). I’ve had a couple of gel manicures lately but can’t afford to keep that habit up so the fact that these polishes claim to last up to 14 days with no UV lamp needed appeals greatly.

All you need to do is apply your chosen colour- no base coat needed, just 1-2 thin coats of your preferred shade. Once it’s dry you add a coat of the self curing gel top coat and there you go.

I absolutely love the colours in this collection, they are all so bright and fun! They cost a reasonable £5.99 each (plus the top coat) and can usually be found on a multi-buy offer too. I’ll have to report back on the longevity of these but from what I’ve heard from other people they live up to the hype. Shade wise my top picks have to be the super bright blue shade named Dive Right In or the pretty pastel Purple Splash for a more subtle, girly approach.

What’s your favourite colour to paint your nails in the summer months? I tend to try and avoid pinks because that’s what I always go for- I’m contemplating trying the orange Rimmel polish first just because I don’t think I’ve ever had orange nails.

Pending me ever getting round to a DIY manicure that is! Someone give me a nudge?

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Products in this post were sent to me for blog consideration.

Essence SS17 new arrivals

It’s been a little while since Essence featured on the blog and they’ve been busy little bees creating some great new products for the Spring/Summer season. If you didn’t already know I am a big fan of Essence products (past features here) so I was really excited when an envelope containing some of these new products arrived at my door.
There were some really intriguing looking products inside the package and I couldn’t wait to get stuck in. So excited it seems I completely forgot to get any swatches of the products but I’ll make sure to pop some up on my instagram over the coming days.
The Blush Play sculpting blush palette (£4) in “play it pink” is a very pretty little palette containing three blush shades that can be used together for a contoured effect or individually. I’m especially fond of the highlight shade, but all three really do work in harmony to create a gorgeous spring flush of pink.
I’ve always raved about Essence’s mascaras and the volume stylist 18h lash extension mascara (£3) is yet another bargain mascara to win my praise. This mascara features a diamond shaped brush which holds lengthening fibres and it creates long, full lashes that don’t budge.

Another product that really excited me was the cushion eyeliner (£3). This little jar holds a sponge soaked with super pigmented eyeliner. Applied with a fine brush this has an amazing texture and again doesn’t budge at all during the day.

You can’t beat Essence for bargain lip products and at a mere £2 these shine shine shine lipglosses are amazing. I’ve got two shades- number 12 and number 13 and they apply smoothly to give a really, really shiny and highly pigmented splash of colour. Out of the two shade 12 is my favourite, I’m really loving purple lips at the moment.

On a side note, these smell incredible too.

Last but not least we have a new nail product- colour boost high pigment nail paint in the shade 11- instant match. Essence nail products are a long standing favourite and a really affordable way to bring your look up to date at a minuscule £1.80 each. This new range takes just one application to provide super shine and solid colour coverage. There are ten shades available and I want them all!
Have you tried any of these new products from Essence, or any others from the brand for that matter? If not then I highly recommend you get acquainted with the brand which you can find in selected Wilko stores or the Wilko website.

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New In- Jewellery from WatchShop.com

You’d be excused for thinking that a website named WatchShop.com would sell only watches. I myself was guilty of this until the other week when I parcel arrived for me which went on to prove me completely wrong. It turns out you can also buy jewellery from WatchShop.com and they stock many of my favourite brands including Guess, Ted Baker and Thomas Sabo to name but a few. I was incredibly lucky to receive a selection of new arrivals and wanted to show them off ASAP!
All items c/o WatchShop.com
The first item I unpackaged was this pretty little necklace from Anne Klein. This isn’t a name familiar to me but I love how delicate this necklace is, I really love simple pieces with just a touch of sparkle and this fits the bill perfectly.
Next out of it’s pouch was this little beauty from lolaandgrace who long time readers of the blog will know I’m already very familiar with. This is one of their more delicate pieces and I love the opal-esque pink stone and pink crystal detail. Again this is a super subtle and elegant piece that fits my current jewellery style perfectly. Keep an eye out for their new collection, there are some serious stunners about to be released!
Last but not least comes this stunning Lola Rose bangle (jewellery range not yet on the website). I’m not the greatest wearer of bracelets and bangles purely because I tend to forget but this one is just so pretty and fits my dinky wrists perfectly- with the bonus of being adjustable. I’ve been pairing this with 1/2 and 3/4 sleeve tops when I want to add a girly touch and I have a sudden desire to stack bangles up both arms as high as they will go!
What are some of your jewellery brand favourites? Which of these pieces has caught your eye the most?

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Kate Spade & Space Cats

Despite owning many, many watches there has up until now been one designer who’s wrist wear I have been on a mission to obtain. Call me a blogger cliche but there is something about Kate Spade’s watches that makes them instantly covetable so when WatchShop.com got back in touch and offered to send me one to say I was over the moon would be a hell of an understatement.

Watch c/o WatchShop.com (get it here) | Dress: Cutie | Trainers: K Swiss (available here)

Polka dots and rose gold (artfully matched to my trainers, of course) are two of my favourite things so it was a no brainer that I went for this subtle statement piece. Everything about it is just perfect, from the beautiful packaging to the size of the dial. I am pretty sure I say this about every new watch I get but this really is a new favourite and will barely be leaving my wrist.

I thought it would be fun to do a couple of outfit photos as well, making the most of an overnight stay at my parents’ place and having mum willing to play photographer. I’m not really doing much in the way of outfit posts at the moment, not until certain areas of my life improve but there’s gonna be the odd exception and I had to make one for my favourite Space Cat print dress and new rose gold K Swiss trainers that are so ugly that they are beautiful (and I just had to have them).

Are there any watch designers that you’re seriously coveting right now? I feel like I’ve ticked a major box on my “things I wish I owned” list with this one and I shall be forever grateful to WatchShop.com for hooking me up.

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Father’s Day Inspiration with House of Fraser*

With Father’s Day looming (19th June FYI) I thought it only right and fair that I do my best to provide inspiration on how to spoil the main man in your life as I always seem to be coming up with female orientated gift guides. There’s a reason for this in that shopping for my Mum is just so easy. We have very similar tastes and it’s rare that I go on any shopping trip without coming back with a little something to stash away for her. My Dad on the other hand is a different story and over the years I’ve become known for my off the wall thinking when it comes to my gifts to him- the policeman mole figurine and 50th Birthday Ant Farm are two that spring to mind as successes in the past. Still, focusing on something a little more traditional I’ve popped together some top ideas from House of Fraser’s selection of men’s accessories which will hopefully help point you in the right direction.

Will I be going down the more traditional route this year? Not likely, but I do know that when my stash of quirky ideas runs out my Dad would be more than happy to receive any of these gifts instead.

On the surface these might all look like quite run of the mill ideas, but with a huge range of quality brands (my Dad for example would love the Paul Smith cufflinks or Ted Baker iPad case) and something to suit all budgets- from £4.00 socks to watches costing hundreds there is something for all tastes and all budgets.

Now I’ve just got to work out if my lovingly handmade gift is going to cut it or if I need to be heading to the shops instead!

Which parent do you find easiest to shop for? I know my best friend is in the opposite situation to me and has a nightmare of a time trying to pick out a present for her Mum!

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