Strawberries, Cherries and an Angel's Kiss in Spring

A late Summer inspired look perfect for a casual date night...

Dressing for this time of year can often leave one in a slight predicament, if you had of listened to the weather reports over the last few weeks then all your summer clothes will have been neatly stored away until next year, however Summer isn't going as quietly as some predicted, this past week has seen some gorgeous English weather so I thought I would put a late Summer inspired look together.

Cropped top - Asos

Skirt - Asos

Hat - H&M

Shoes - H&M

Bag - Primark

Jewellery - Topshop/ New Look

Nail Varnish - The Body Shop Minty Amour

Models Own Magpie Green

After seeing all the hype in the beauty world around the Models Own Speckled Eggs range I was super excited for them to be available in my local Boots and Superdrug, however seeing the bottles in the flesh made me feel a little deflated, it just didn't look as pretty as I thought it would, I thought I would still get one to try so I could do a little blog review, and I am so glad I did! This speckled effect is so pretty on the nails, I chose the shade 'Magpie Green' - a lovely minty hue with black speckles. I applied two coats along with my usual base and top coat and it lasted a good four days without any pesky chips. The other shades in the collection are lovely and I really cannot wait to try 'Dove Pink'. These retail at £5 each but Boots are currently running a two for £8 offer at the moment.

Have you tried any polishes from this range? What is your favourite Models Own nail lacquer?

Topshop Mini Nail Trio

I picked up this lovely set in the Topshop sale a couple of weeks ago, it was originally £14 but I managed to find it reduced to a fiver! I hadn't previously tried a Topshop polish before, I rarely stray from my beloved Essie but at £5 for three nail polishes I thought it would be worth a try. I love the three shades in this set, Magpie is a beautiful clear polish with large holographic glitter, I love this layered over a nude shade like Essie St Tropez, the other glitter in the set is Gypsy Night, a black glossy polish flecked with orange and gold glitter, this looks so pretty, you need a good three coats for this to look amazing though. Lastly is my favourite of the trio, Dazzle is a pretty metallic rusty orange red shade that will suit lots of different skin tones. This shade looks great on all ten nails or as an accent nail with a more subtle shade. I love the brushes on the Topshop polishes, they are nice and wide making application easy and the lacquer itself lasts really well.

I am definely going to be picking up some more shades in Topshops' range, I know they have lots of pretty colours. What are some of your favourites?

Nina's Got It Nailed

There are three things I look for in a nail polish, long lasting formula, wide brush for easy application and a wide shade range, Essie deliver on all three but not many other brands I have tried have done, until now, Nina is a brand that you can find in Sally's. Like Essie they have a wide shade range and the formulas are brilliant but best of all the brush makes painting your nails so easy.

I picked up three shades, all of them had adorable names. Spun sugar is a lovely warm neutral shade with a hint of pink, this really suits my skin tone and is the perfect colour for work. Ladies who lunch is a bold bright salmon pink, its like a bright coral shade just without the orange, this suits a nice tan and looks great with turquoise jewellery. Lastly is Call the coppers, a glitter lacquer that gives an opaque glitter finish covering the whole nail, this one is my favourite, although it is bold I find it so wearable, it is a very glamourous copper colour. I cant reccomend the Nina Ultra Pro nail poilshes enough and at £2.99 each they are such a steal.

Have you tried this brand yet?

Autumn Nail Shades

Yes I know it is slightly depressing summer is over but I would safely say that Autumn is in full swing, so bring out your winter coats and start layering. I love this time of year, the build up to the festive period, all the twinkling lights, cosy fireplaces, jewel tones colours and hot chocolate, I mean whats not to love.

As you all know by now my nail lacquer choices can sometimes be less than experimental, but when it comes to autumn I think neutral, dark jewel tones are very appropriate. I thought I would some up my autumn nail polish wardrobe for you, first up are two shades from L'Oreal, Parisian Rooftops which is a grey with a slight mauve tint to it, and Femme Fatale which is a classic vampy red, the brushes on these polishes are perfectly shaped to coat the nail, and these last a good few days without chipping. Next up is an old favourite and one I am sure I have mentioned before, Essie's Decadent Dish is a shimmery burgundy shade that is perfect for this time of year. Barry M's Navy has a slight shimmer to it, it's a real deep luxurious blue, the only problem I have with this is the brush is far to thin for my liking but the colour itself is gorgeous. Lastly is a polish from Deborah Lippmann which I received in a GlossyBox ages ago, it is a stunning deep raspberry red glitter lacquer that covers the nail in glitter, perfect for a night out.

What are your favourite nail shades for Autumn?

Currently Adoring: Gelly Hi Shine Lacquers

I have a fair few Barry M nail polishes, I think as a brand they offer incredible value for money when compared with other companies on the market and their wide shade range is wonderful. My most recent additions to my Barry M collection are from the Gelly Hi-Shine range. I picked up the shades Lychee - a lovely neutral shade that really suits my skin tone, Blueberry - a bright icy pale blue that really pops, Pomegranate - a deep warm red, similar to their Raspberry hue but a little deeper, and finally Blue Plum - my favourite of the bunch, it's a real dark, deep blue, this is such a classic nail colour.

I find these lacquers last really well on my nails if I use a top coat, my only issue is the brush, I just wish it was wider and flatter. Other than that though I really can't find any complaints about these polishes, and as for the name 'Gelly Hi-Shine' I can say it really does look like a gel manicure with a lovely shiny finish.

Have you picked up anything from Barry M recently?

Aqua Violet Beetle Juice

During this weeks pamper session I gave myself a manicure, I always go for the same kind of colours but this week I went for something different. I chose Models Own Aqua Violet Beetle Juice which is a gorgeous iridescent bluey purple, it kind of reminds me of butterfly wings.  I have had this polish in my stash for ages but haven't really worn it before now. One coat of this gives a nice sheen to your nails and two coats makes it opaque.

As usual I used my Sally Hansen Double Duty base coat and my Seche quick dry top coat, I also used my Planet Spa Japanese Sake and Rice hand cream which leaves my hands feeling lovely and soft, this can also be used for feet as well if you are planning on doing a manicure and a pedicure.

 What is your favourite nail polish?

New Purchases From Essie

After looking through my humble Essie Lacquer collection the other day I decided I need to step away from neutrals and deep reds and get slightly more adventurous.I spent ages in Superdrug deliberating over colours, I don't know whether you've noticed but Essie's shade range is huge and picking between two coral colours that are only slightly different can seriously slow down the whole shopping experience. In the end I went for Chubby Cheeks, a delicious reddy coral shade that is a lot less orange than say Tart Deco. This looks really nice against my skin tone and helps to liven up my look. The other colour I chose was Sew Psyched, when I try to describe this it doesn't sound great; it's a dull light army style colour, but I mean that in the nicest possible way because this has become my new favourite Essie Lacquer. It is just so wearable!

What is your favourite nail polish brand?

Black and Gold

I'm quite boring when it comes to nails, I like dark or neutral hues on a short and slightly rounded nail, this week though I thought I would switch things up a little and throw on a bit of glitter, so for that I roped in Barry M's most sparkly offering 'Gold Glitter' This polish is a clear varnish with lots of glitter, so it can be worn on its own or layered over another colour.

As I was easing myself into the look I only applied it to two nails, the rest I painted using Essie's Liquorice which is the blackest of blacks. I like my nails to last at least four to five days so I use a base coat in the form of Sally Hansen's Double Duty Strengthening Top and Base Coat, this makes taking your polish off a hell of a lot easier as well. For the shiny top coat I use Seche Nail Lacquer. This is my manicure staple product! It dries so fast... like really fast! It makes the whole process of doing your nails less of a bother.

As I have used a base and top coat, this will last for minimum four days without chipping, then to remove it all and start again I will be using Tesco's Nail Varnish Remover, I find this one really gets the glitter off, which can be a pain!

Are you into the natural look when it comes to nails? or do you like to spice things up with lots of glitter and bright colours?