Fantastically Fake: Nails

For the past couple of months i've tried out a range of fake nails from the cheapest to the semi designer, to see if it's worth investing on nails that you'll only wear for a day. I was originally going to do a post on "The perfect nails for summer" but since there were so many brands and price rangers to choose from it made me curious to know if there is a dramatic difference between them all. 

Being a fake nail virgin, it was difficult to choose what nails to test but I eventually decided upon the brands Primark, Boots own, House Of Holland and Ted Baker. Although there are many more brands out there, this selection gives me a good range to test out and see if I love them or hate them. 

Primark: £1.00

Brought from: Primark

When I first saw these £1 nails I was a little taken back and to tell you the truth they are what gave me the idea of making a post on nails. But although you're saving money, you are giving up quality. They were extremely plasticy (I know they are supposed to be plastic but I don't want people to know they're fake!) Although I filed them down quite a bit, they still looked and felt like claws. They made the simplest things such as changing clothes a difficult task. Removing them was a messy process as they became very slimy but only took about 2 minuets for each hand to come off. 

Boots Own: £5.50

Brought from: Boots

The next cheapest brand I could find was Boots Own and being 5x more expensive I had higher hopes for them. But they were rather disappointing, filing them was difficult and made them lose their smoothness and shininess (WORD OF WARNING: don't attempt to cut the nails down once you've stuck them on because they will be ruined!) but the colour looked very similar to nail polish, so at first sight people won't notice they're fake. They were much longer than I expected and trying to type out a text took a lot of patience! They were also very hard to remove as the glue was so strong which is good for keeping them on longer. 

Ted Baker: £8.00

Brought from: Boots

Ted Baker is what i'd call semi designer because its not as expensive as brands like Prada and Gucci but it is still very well known and has a good reputation. So when I saw that they did a fake nail collection the glamor girl inside of me squealed with excitement. It means you can be a part of the Ted Baker society without spending a lot. There is really nothing bad to say about these nails, they are the perfect size, they are very natural looking and I was very comfortable wearing them for over 3 days. But if I must critique these perfect nails the only thing I can say is that the glue wasn't as strong as other brands. The nails didn't stick as quickly as others so make sure you hold them down for about 10 seconds on each nail. My thumb nail came loose after the second day but after a quick glue fix it stayed in place for another day. 

House Of Holland £8.99

Brought from: Boots

Since all the nails I previously tried on were square I decided to step out my comfort zone and try the new craze of pointy nails that all the celebrities are sporting. Before putting them on I was worried that they'd be very impractical and since I didn't like the primark and boots own nails for being long these would be worse. But I was very surprised, although they're long they felt extremly comfortable as well as looking super cute (who wouldn't want mini ice creams all over their fingers?!) They came with a free nail file which was thoughtful of them, the glue was also super strong so they almost instantly stuck onto my natural nail and stayed put all day.  

Overall my two favorite brands would have to be Ted Baker and House Of Holland because they looked gorgeous and were very simple and comfortable to work with. While Boots Own and Primark were still pretty but too uncomfortable and impractical to wear for longer than a day. So yes I would agree that spending that bit more gives you better looking nails. 

What's your opinion on fake nails? Love them or hate them? xx 

Maybelline Better Skin Foundation Review

 I have been searching through makeup counters for a while but nothing has really caught my eye, I guess owning almost every product for your face has its downsides sometimes! But the recent release of Maybellines Better Skin Foundation made me curious to know whether it really worked. I purchased it in shade 2, Nude, and at £8.99 per bottle at Boots (not the cheapest on the market) I had high expectations for it. 

The foundation promises to improve "dull, blotchy and uneven skin". Maybelline also states that the foundation improves your skin with wear, so unlike other foundations that may leave your skin suffocated, Better Skin Foundation hydrates and brightens it making your skin naturally healthier in just 3 weeks.

(Shade 02, Nude)

After trying it almost everyday for a month I am pretty pleased with how it looks on. Its easy to apply and makes my skin look flawless. I also haven't found any sneaky little pimples after removing my makeup at night which happened with my old foundation all the time. 

With the foundation on:

Although this foundation looks beautiful on my skin, i didn't see any obvious results on my natural skin which I was slightly disappointed at. This may be due to me naturally having rather clear skin, but I would have been nice to see more of the results they advertised with the products. 

Left: Before using the foundation 

Right: After using the foundation for 4 weeks

Overall this product is great for wearing but wont magically make your skin look beautiful without it, but I would still recommend to those of you who are wanting a natural and light foundation. xx

Statement Coats and Jackets

Since I'm studying in Sunderland, coats are still very much a necessity if I want to stay warm when being outside. I've seen a lot of different styles and patterns on the catwalks my favorite being PPQ's Autumn/ Winter 2013 collection of vibrant, bold and colourful winter coats.  When wearing a coat like this you don't need to dress it up with jewelry or a fancy purse, as the coat speaks for itself. The neon yellows and fluorescent pinks featured on the catwalk were accompanied by bold patterns and daring cuts to make the show and outfits more extravagant. 

I decided to purchase my own extravagant coat, a little less designer and a little more high-street. I was looking for patterns rather than colour as a personal preference,  I've always been a huge fan of leopard print and ever since Harry Styles wore a Burberry leopard print shirt to The London Fashion Week last year, it seems that everything now comes in black, white and leopard print. I thought I struck gold when I popped into Miss Selfridge and found a gorgeous leopard print coat had been reduced from £75 to just £25 as well as it being the last one available in my size! So without a doubt I snatched it up and carried it around with me all day, and of course taking it out the bag to stare at it on the train home. 

Since yesterday was my first time wearing it, I wanted to do a little outfit of the day and share my excitement with you all. I paired the coat with a long sleeved black dress, black tights and brown boots so that the coat would stand out and accessorize my outfit for me. 

And of course, Sunderland being Sunderland the wind caused a lot of retakes! Hope you enjoyed this post xx  

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8 Reasons Why Brown Boots Are Better.

1. Because brown is a natural and earthly colour it's more likely to go with more outfits and a mixture of colours.

2. They will give your outfit more of an edge because everyone wears black boots, it will give you a chance to stand out.

3. Brown boots will help to mix up the colour range of your outfit, so you can wear and black dress and tights without looking like you're going to a funeral. 

4. Your boots will show up better against black tights and jeans so that everyone can see how gorgeous they are, (possible complements are a bonus with them)


 
5. Brown is a more wearable colour for an everyday informal look, while black is much more formal.

6. They are still a dark colour which makes them as easy to maintain as black boots and if they get dirty it won't show! 

7. Like black, brown will forever be a classy colour, so you don't need to worry about them going out of style.

8. If you're still stuck on what colour boots to get, it gives you a good excuse to buy both (go on treat yourself!) 

Review: Barry M Matte Nail Polish

Having never really been a fan of Barry M nail polishes, I was reluctant to purchase the new matte line that they came out with. But with a "buy one get one half price" offer at Boots, I thought why not give them a go? This wasn't just a random purchase, I have been looking for matte nail polish since I saw Kim Kardashian's Instagram of her black matte nails. What put me off Barry M nail polish originally was that I found the consistency of the polish thick, gooey and cheap. That fact that they sell themselves as "the cheapest drugstore nail polish" doesn't help my case. 

But I was relatively surprised by the quality and look of their matte collection. I brought 2 out of the 5 colours in the collection, Crush and Mocha. 

Left: Crush, Right: Mocha

The nail polish gives you a smooth matte finish every time, is quick drying and doesn't chip easily which is everything you want in a polish. The colours are also bold and because of the matte finish you don't need a top coat. At just £3.99 each these polishes are a real bargain!

(I applied just 2 coats of each nail polish to produce the colours in the photos below. )

Crush

This beautiful deep red wine colour stands out without being to bright. It makes your nails look classy and sophisticated without needing to visit a nail salon. The only downfall with this colour is that if you make a mistake it will slightly stain your skin so you need to clean it up asap! 

Mocha


This colour is gorgeous for a simple tidy look, although it looks more like a cappuccino than a mocha. Since this colour is so light you can add more layers to produce a darker effect but its a great colour to have for the winter but also for spring as its so light. 

I would strongly advise you the purchase these nail polishes if you're looking for a matte finish or just something new to add to your own collection xx