NAILS NAILS NAILS: How to create a two toned manicure

Until a few days ago I had never even considered dipping into the world of nail art, mainly because I have incredibly shaky hands - simply painting my nails can be a struggle! So I knew I had no hope of ever perfecting the art of free-hand nail art.

However, I then read an online Cosmo article based around simple ways to perfect nail designs, such as the two toned manicure - eek!

 

Please note that these still require a little perfecting!

To produce a two toned manicure you will need:

A light coloured nail polish
A darker coloured polish
A base/top coat polish
A role of selotape - yeah that's right, selotape!

Instructions:

1. Begin by soaking nails in warm water to soften the cuticles.

2. Cleanse nails with nail varnish remover, even if already free of nail varnish.

3. Paint nails with your chosen base coat - I always use Barry M's all-in-one basecoat, topcoat and nail hardener, available to buy here.

4. Once the base coat has dried, fully paint all nails in the lighter coloured polish. For this I chose to use Barry M Gelly in Dragon Fruit, available to buy here. (It is up to you how many coats of nail polish you use, I personally always use two!)

5. Once the first colour polish is dry, wait around two hours just to make sure it is fully set and then you can continue.

6. Choose the design you want, either diagonal as I did, or straight down the middle, or if you are feeling adventurous you could attempt a triangular design in the centre of each nail - it's totally up to you!

7. Cut small pieces of selotape of the role and begin positioning them on your nails, the idea is to cover the area you don't want to paint. For example, for a diagonal design, place the edge of the selotape diagonally down the nail, covering one half and leaving the other half uncovered.

8. Then take the darker coloured polish, (I chose to use Rimmel's Lasting Finish Double Decker Red, available to buy here) and paint over the entire nail, including the selotape.

9. Once you are sure the nails are dry, gently remove the selotape from your nails and you should have a two tone nail design, as shown in the picture above.

10. Top nails with a topcoat and voila, your two toned manicure is complete!

Review: Barry M Gelly

Anyone who reads my blog regularly will know that back in February I invested in my very first gel-style nail varnishes from Models Own's new Hyper-Gel collection.

Now, I must admit that at the time I loved my new polishes with all my heart, however, over the past few months I began to slightly tire of the long drying times and sensitive smudge factor of these polishes.

Don't get me wrong, I still like the Models Own Hyper-gels but I decided to try a couple of Barry M's Gelly polishes to see if they gave me a better and slightly quicker result.

After some careful consideration and a lot of umming and arring, I finally decided on a pretty pink known as Dragon Fruit - a perfect spring/summer colour.

After carefully applying my base coat, (I use Barry M's all-in-one base coat, top coat and nail hardener, available here) I then applied two layers of Dragon Fruit (available to buy here) and once completely dry, I then topped with Barry M's all-in-one top coat.

Although the drying process did take a little longer than I had hoped, it was significantly quicker than the Model's Own hyper-gel polishes, which was of course a major bonus of this product. The other thing I just love about the overall finish of the gelly, was the super smooth and shiny finish of the polish, giving my nails a professional gel look.

TRIP TO MANCHESTER!

Until earlier this month, I had never been to Manchester, and if I am being honest, I was not entirely sure what to expect; however, I must say that I was pleasantly surprised by my little visit!

Although I had never been to the area before, my fiancé, who is an avid Man City supporter, is somewhat of a regular to the area (for obvious reasons), and so he was able to show me all the best places around.

We began our trip with a compulsory visit to the Etihad Stadium and gift shop, in Sports City.

As you can see, my lovely fiancé was VERY excited! 

After what seemed like hours, Man City's biggest fan, aka the fiancé, finally picked a new Man City shirt to take home, and off we went again. (I must say, I really do approve of the retro-style shirt he picked out!)

Our next stop was in Rusholme, a small suburb outside the city centre, where and I quote, "there is the best sweet shop in the world", otherwise known as, Sanam Indian and Pakistani Restaurant and Sweet House.

I just love the bright colours of the sweets!

We choose a selection of yummy looking sweets, including an Indian version of good old coconut ice - my favourite kind of sweet! Although I was incredibly excited to try our sweets, I was a little apprehensive about how expensive they might be, especially as we had a box full, but luckily for me this whole box cost just £5 - such a bargain!

Once we had enjoyed our little 'snack', shall we call it, we headed off in search of my brother's flat, where we were spending the night. After accidently getting lost in Bolton, we finally made it.

Pretty soon after we arrived, my brother took us to a local eatery that served a delicious selection of cakes - perfect for an evening snack!

There was such a lovely selection of desserts to choose from, including a slightly strange sounding, mint custard dessert and chocolate brownie combination, that I felt spoilt for choice. However, I stuck to what I know, so to speak, and choose a gorgeous chocolate orange dessert (pictured above). For anyone who doesn't know me, I have a real 'thing' for chocolate and orange combinations, making this just perfect for me and my orange-loving, sweet tooth!

The following day I spent the afternoon exploring The Trafford Centre with my brother and his girlfriend, whilst my finace attend a work event in the city.

I must say that The Trafford Centre was so much more than impressive, it was totally gorgeous and best of, was packed full of all my favourite fashion stores. I think it is safe to say that I totally fell in love...

NAILS NAILS NAILS: Rimmel's exclusive Rita Ora collection!

I wasn't planning on blogging today, but when I popped to the shops earlier this morning and caught a glimpse of Rimmel's new nail varnishes, which I must say are absolutely beautiful, I just couldn't resist writing a sneaky little post.

A small selection of the 12 colours available - eekk!



These pretty little beauties are part of Rimmel's new 12 shade collection created in collaboration with Rita Ora.

The best thing about this little collection, apart from the fact that Rita's face is on every bottle of course, is the mix up of hot and cold colours, including strong sexy colours, such as orgasm (nail varnish name) red and slightly softer tones, such as breakfast in bed (name of nail varnish) - not to mention the somewhat quirky names!

The Recipe Read - Banana Loaf

Although I initially aimed to write a 'Recipe Read' post on a weekly basis, with my current university schedule it hasn't so far been possible, but hopefully in the next few weeks I should have a little more free time, so be sure to watch this space!

For this week's very late recipe post, I decided to bake a simple banana loaf as its fruity flavor makes it a perfect treat for the upcoming summer weather - fingers crossed for lots of lovely sun!

 

Although slightly different to a classic banana bread recipe, this banana loaf is just as tasty and much more simple to make, not to mention slightly cheaper too, so perfect for anyone on a budget. Plus, the best thing about this yummy recipe is that it is a perfect way to use up any slightly worse for wear bananas that are lurking in your fruit bowl - waste not, want not, ay!

To bake this delicious treat you will need:

140g of butter
140g of caster sugar
3 medium free-range eggs
140g of self-raising flower
1 tsp baking powder
2 ripe bananas

You will also need:

A loaf tin
Greaseproof paper
A wooden spoon or an electric mixer
A large mixing bowl
A fork for mashing the bananas
A set of scales

The method:

Start by pre-heating your oven to 180 degrees, then butter and line your loaf tin with greaseproof paper.

Then gently cream the butter and sugar together until it is smooth and fluffy. [Helpful hint: pop the butter in the microwave for 30 seconds to soften it slightly to make mixing easier!]

Then add the eggs and stir into the mixture.

Once the eggs are completely mixed in, begin sieving the flour and baking powder into the mixture, folding in small amounts of flour at a time.

Next mash the bananas in a separate bowl and then add to the mixture, making sure to distribute evenly throughout the mix.

Finally pour the mixture into the loaf tin and pop in the oven for 30 to 40 minutes, checking occasionally until golden brown and completely cooked.

Despite the delicious aromas coming off your freshly baked banana loaf, be sure to leave it to cool for a few minutes before turning it out onto a wire rack, and attempting to devour, as not only will it be very hot it may also collapse. You have been warned!

Happy baking!