NOTD - Flamingo Nail Art Tutorial!

Hello there lovely readers!

To celebrate almost making it through the first month of 2017 intact I have a quirky Friday Funday (okay its technically still Thursday but who's counting?) manicure for you that succeeded in putting a smile on my face with its featuring that most delightful of bird species...flamingos! 

Inspiration for this actually came from a darling flamingo print dress I picked up in an independent boutique in London. Once I had that on...I knew I had to have me some flamingo nails to match :)

And creating these flirty flamingos is easier than you might think, to show you just how easy, I've done a step by step pictorial showing you each stage so that you can rock these funky birds too! Just keep on reading beauts...

Start with a nice neutral tone base to make those flamingos stand out, I've used one of my favourites, Rum & Reggae by Nina Pro Ultra. You can also choose to leave the nail bare with just clear base coat if you wish!

Now to begin creating your flamingos, start by applying a half moon/ semi circle of pink on to the tip of your nail as shown below, here I've opted for Models Own Gumballs from their sweet shop collection & yes it smells like bubblegum!

Next, using the same pink & a fine nail art brush, draw on a curved hook from the top of your half moon for the neck of the flamingo like so

Then grabbing a little bit of white polish, using another fine nail art brush or a dotting tool/toothpick/bobby pin apply a small blob of white at the tip of your pink hook

Now using some black polish & the fine nail art brush again, add on a small curved black beak to the edge of the white as shown, you can slowly see your flamingos coming together!

Next its time to grab a lighter shade of pink to what you've already used to add definition to the body, here I've used Mavala Candy Floss & applied a smaller little semicircle on top of the darker pink.

The eyes come next & are simply a dot of white with a finer dot of black in the centre, you can add a bit more pink for the head if you need to

And finally for a finishing touch I added on a curve of sparkly glitter courtesy of Models Own Pink Fizz which is optional of course but who can resist a bit of sparkle?

Cover your design in a a nice thick slick of topcoat & you have your flamingo's!

So easy right? I do love a quirky mani, its been a while since I've done a design like this & I've missed them! For me mani's are therapeutic in a way, having fun & vibrant nails always helps make me feel more content & positive & this definitely delivered on that :)

Do let me know if you give this a try, would love to see! Thanks as always for reading, till next time!

Lotsa love to ya!

Review - Revlonissimo 45 Days 2 in 1 Shampooo & Conditioner for Brave Reds

Hello there lovely readers,

Every once in a while you stumble across one of those wonderful, life changing, world shifting products that you never knew HOW you coped without. Sounds a tad over the top maybe but such has been the case with this recent find & which ALL ladies who dye their hair regularly need in their life.

The Holy Grail product in question is Revlonissimo 45 Days Total Color Care, a 2 in 1 sulfate free shampoo & conditioner which I received at a PR event & only recently discovered the wonders of. I am a regular dyer of the hair, the colour requiring topping up at least every couple of months, a task which I don't exactly relish! Not only is it a long grueling process but the amount one spends on hair dye, especially with my long hair, can end up quite costly!

It was at a time when my hair was starting to look a tad dull that I dug out & used the Revlonissimo for Sensual Brunettes, simply because I had run out of shampoo & as soon as my hair was dry I was blown away at how beautifully vibrant the brown tones in my hair had become, it looked like I had just freshly dyed it when in fact it was done at least a good four months ago! The number of comments I received after using this asking what dye I was wearing I can't tell you.

Upon discovering the wondering benefits of this little gem I went & purchased the version for Reds because as you can see below...I've now just recently had a revamp with red/black ombre hair courtesy of the fabulous Rockaily Cuts in London. 

I now incorporate this product in to my weekly hair care routine religiously. The instructions advise that you use this product twice each wash which in my opinion is not necessary at all. Not only is it completely unsavvy, why you would be out of product after only a few sessions! Plus it lathers up so well that one rinse is more than enough. 

The way I used to previously use this was by first using my regular shampoo, at the moment I am LOVING the OGX range. Once washed I would then lather in the Revlonissmo, massaging it in for a few minutes before rinsing out. However lately I've actually just been using the Revlonissimo on its own as I don't want to over wash my hair due to the red dye.

I then use the accompanying conditioner that goes with the OGX shampoo in to which I also add a squeeze of Aussie 3 Minute Miracle conditioner for a bit of extra TLC for the hair. I leave this for a good five minutes to work its magic before finally rinsing out as well.

I never blow dry my hair, preferring to let it air dry. This is partly because my hair is so long, to blow dry would be far too intense a workout which my wee arms just couldn't handle & yes I'll admit I'm just a lazy bum. Plus I straighten my hair, as it will be getting heat from that, to blow dry it too would definitely be overkill. But once dry the results after using this routine of late has been smooth, shiny & vibrantly coloured locks that look like they have been freshly dyed. Happy Aysh!

So my fellow hair dyers, if there is one product you NEED in your life it is this. Not only does it leave the hair looking, smelling & feeling wonderful but it will also save you a packet on hair dye as you'll find yourself needing to top up less often. The Revlonissimo comes in different shades for all hair types, the range includes variations suitable for Brunettes, Ice Blondes, Intense Coppers, Radiant Darks & Brave Reds. You can find it online on Beauty Bay HERE for £9.95...so what are you waiting for...go go go!

Lotsa love to ya!

NOTD - Easy Dotted Flower Tutorial ft MicroCell Rapberry Kiss

Hello there lovely readers!

Not long ago I blogged about, what I can honestly say, was THE BEST beauty find of 2016 for me. The product in question is the MicroCell Nail Repair nail treatment which has literally changed my world. I am FOREVER recommending this little miracle product to everyone & now very rarely use any other base coat. No other treatment has made my nails grow as strong & healthy as they are now after using this magical elixir.

The brand MicroCell also have a range of other nail products including topcoats, oils, tools as well as of course my favourite...pretty polishes! So today I have one of the divine shades available in a gloriously vibrant pink called Raspberry Kiss*.

Isn't it a beaut? This here was two coats applied & I'm incredibly impressed with the quality of the formula.

The polish is so pigmented & vibrant in colour & thick in consistency but far from gloopy & glides onto the nail beautifully leaving a glossy almost gel like finish.

What makes this polish stand out even more so for me is that it also contains built in strengthener with the addition of silicone & calcium as well as green alga & diamond gloss, resulting in a dreamy formula that will last longer whilst protecting against flaking & staining.

I wanted to do a spot of nail art with this pretty shade, so applied these pretty dotticure flowers with alternating petals which are super easy to do. Read on to see just how...

You can use any other alternate colour to your pink but I decided to use white as I thought it would be a nice contrast. Grabbing your dotting tool or a bobby pin, dip into your white & apply a circle of 5 white dots like so

Next, using your original pink & a smaller dotting tool/bobby pin, apply another circle of smaller dots on top of the white

Then using the white again, use your bigger dotting tool again to apply a final white dot in the centre

This is an optional touch but I couldn't resist adding a few small silver beads to the centre of my flowers for a bit of pow wow.

Finish with topcoat & thats it! Told ya it was easy :)

You can find MicroCell nail polishes (RRP £14.95) & range of nail care products including my HG Nail Repair treatment online via their website HERE as well as on Bath and Unwind. 

What are you waiting for? Go go go! Thanks as always for reading beauts! Let me know if you give this super easy floral nail art a try!

Lotsa love to ya!

Disclaimer - * products featured were sent to me for my consideration. I am not affiliated with the brand nor paid for this post, this review has been as always my 100% honest opinion! :)

NOTD - Dotted French Duochrome!

Hello there my lovely readers!

I do love me a french mani I do, but sometimes doing just a bog standard white tip bores me so I like to look for different ways to make things a bit more interesting.

And there's nothing I love more than a dotticure so...combining the two together I created this dotted French look that I am loving so much! Smile lines are so yesterday...now its all about the dotted French ladies!

And even better is that this is so easy to do, no stress about getting that perfect sharp smile line edge to your French tips. All you need is your white polish & a dotting tool. And if you don't have one a bobby pin will suffice. Who says you need special tools for nail art?

You can stick with the French mani look & go for a nude or pale pink base but I was in the mood for some colour so I dug out this stunning Polish Me Silly lacquer in the shade Show Off which is the most beautiful ethereal blue purple duochrome with pink & gold shimmers. This I applied two coats.

Then grabbing my white polish & dotting tool, simply applied a large white dot at the centre of my tip, before adding a slightly smaller dot either side & if you can fit it on to your nail, then two final smaller dots on either side of those, so altogether you have about 7 dots all across the tip.

I added on a pretty blue rhinestone to complete the mani before finishing with topcoat to seal and shine & thats it!

Easy peasy huh? And it looks so pretty! I have a feeling that standard French tips will be taking a back seat for quit some time. Thanks for reading as always.

Lotsa love to ya!

NOTD - Expecto Patronum by Dollish Polish!

Hello there my lovely readers!

Gotten back in to the swing of things yet? Find myself currently surrounded by gym obsessed work colleagues filled with the obligatory after holiday over indulging guilt...& here's me just sat here happily munching away on left over Roses...haha! I mean if it wasn't the fact that I was allergic to gym I totally would succumb too...its not pretty...sweats, palpitations, breathlessness, hot flushes...this ALWAYS happens whenever I go...so for my well being I simply cannot so hey ho.

One of my favourite things about the Xmas break, other than all the food & family time of course, is the fab selection of festive films to enjoy during ones hibernation. This year we were treated to the entire Harry Potter saga. I visited the studios last year which was absolutely magical & it brought back so many wonderful memories, these films will always have a special place in my heart just like Disney.

Anyhoo watching the films immediately brought to my mind a particular polish in my stash that I had picked up donkeys ago but had not yet had the opportunity to test out...Expecto Patronum by Dollish Polish...well...you can imagine my eagerness to rectify this situation immediately after watching The Prisoner of Azkaban...so out it came!

The delightfully titled Expecto Patronum is an indie polish by the brand Dollish Polish. I picked up this little beauty in a blog sale but you can find it on their website HERE. This polish is seriously stunning beauts & if you are a Harry Potter fan then you NEED THIS IN YOUR LIFE. Heck even if you're not just look at its purdiness!

As expected from a polish named after the well known charm spell, Expecto Patronum is a beautiful milky white crelly shade that gets its special magical element from the presence of beautiful minty green iridescent flakies & teal green holo glitter chunks of different sizes....SWOONS!

The formula is light therefore to get full impact of this polish, 3 coats will be required to achieve opaque coverage but oh boy is it worth it. I can understand why this little gem is a best-seller as it really is something rather special.

Not that it needed it but to add a bit of extra oomph to the mani I added on 3 dots of this gorgeous pink glitter from China Glaze called Mrs Claus just above the cuticle, China Glaze really do glitter polish well & this one is no exception. I love this sort of dotticure nail art as its such an easy way to get a glitter fix & can jazz up any mani effortlessly!

Finish with obligatory topcoat to protect all that sparkly goodness & you have your nails ready to cast your Patronus charm!

You can get your hands on this divine polish via the Dollish Polish website HERE where they offer international shipping & is available in both large & small sizes. Thanks for reading!

Lotsa love to ya!

NOTD - Pastel Winter Wonderland Nails

Hello there my lovely readers!

Happy new year to you all my beauts! I hope you all had a wonderful Xmas break & new years however you spent it. I'm certain my spirit animal is a bear as I've pretty much spent the holidays in hibernation which has been utter bliss! Like many I'm sure I'm now currently going through the “oh god no” motions at the thought of going back to work!

Not feeling QUITE so ready to part from the festive feels just yet here's a frosty Pastel Winter Wonderland mani using sugary soft tones, snowflakes & a bit of glitter thrown in! Normally I'm a glossy girl all the way, however for this mani I decided to mattify the finish & I must confess I dig it!

I wanted some pretty pastels for my base, not able to decide I went for a two tone using pale pink & mint.

For the pink I've used two coats of Zoya Bailey, a gorgeous soft pink with a pretty pale silver shimmer running through it.

For my mint green nails I went for one of my vintage Revlon polishes, this is the aptly named Minted of which two coats were also applied.

Creating the snowflakes is easy peasy, using a fine nail art brush & some white polish simply draw an X on to your nail wherever you'd like your snowflakes placed, then draw a vertical or horizontal line on top.

Now add on your snowflake details by placing smaller angled lines along the cross, playing around with different styles, sizes & designs!

To add a bit of dimension to the pastel nails I dotted on a bit of Barry M textured polish in Lady which is a really unusual & pretty frost white shimmer.

Then for the accent nail I applied two coats of this pretty silvery All That Jazz polish. I couldn't for the life of me find the name of the shade on my bottle, unless I was having a dunce moment which, lets be honest, is most likely, but it could be the shade Glam Squad

For the final touch I coated the silver pinkie with this beautiful silver & frosty blue bar & hexagon glitter mix courtesy of Essie Luxe Effects in Frilling Me Softly.

As mentioned before I decided to go for a matte look so to finish I applied a Rimmel matte topcoat to the pastel nails. Matte pastel manicures may just be my new favourite thing! I don't know if its the sweet tooth but this finish reminds me of cake frosting!

First post of 2017 done! Now I'm off to hunt down that Fondant Fancy that I know is in the cupboard begging to be eaten to satisfy the sugary sweet craving this mani has enabled. Thanks as always for sticking by to read my rambles, here's to a fab year!

Lotsa love to ya!