Sally Hansen Amp It Up Nail Polish Strips

My favourite colour is purple and I am a total sucker for metallic colours so when I saw these metallic purple nail polish strips with little guitars on them I knew that I "needed them in my life"! They are Sally Hansen's Nail Polish Strips in Amp It Up. As always these strips were great quality and lasted over a week. I have done so many posts and reviews about these since the spring so they are clearly worth me bothering to tell you about again and again! I think these nail polish strips are crazy cute!

What do you think of these nail polish strips? Have you tried any of Sally Hansen's Nail Polish Strips before?

Here is the link to my detailed review post on Sally Hansen's Nail Polish Strips: http://scottishstefsnails.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/sally-hansen-nail-polish-strips.html

Butter London Polish: Fruit Machine

Butter London's Fruit Machine Polish is a gorgeous baby pink colour. I absolutely love the Butter London polish bottles and of course the polish that is inside them. The formula of this polish is nice and provides great coverage after just two coats. Although the brush is quite thin it is actually really great. I can't find any faults with this polish at all. I guess it is at the higher end of the price spectrum but I suppose it could make an awesome present for someone. I got it as a gift and I was so excited about it!

I am feeling pretty positive about this polish. If you are looking for a pretty pink then this might be for you.

Have you tried Butter London polishes? What is your favourite Butter London polish?

NOTD: Tattoo Much Nail Polish Strips

I'm wearing these awesome Sally Hansen Nail Polish Strips called Tattoo Much on my nails at the moment. I absolutely love the tattoo design! It's a shame I couldn't have had more of the roses and banners on some of my nails but that was just the way the pattern worked out. I had lusted after these for ages and finally managed to get them from amazon. I think they are pretty cute.

What do you think of them? Have you tried nail polish strips before?

Nails Inc's Free Gift- Christmas Special

I ordered a couple of polishes from Nails Inc the other day which are Christmas presents to myself and I received a gorgeous free gift with my order. The free gift that I received is so ridiculously gorgeous that I had to do a post about it. It came in a beautiful silver sparkly box which is exciting in its own right. Inside the box was four mini polishes which are worth £5.00 each, a pretty sparkly nail file and a nail buffer! I think this is probably the nicest free gift I have ever been given. So, if you are thinking about buying some Christmas gifts from Nails Inc soon you could get this beauty free with your purchase too!:)

Essie: Off The Shoulder

Essie's Off the Shoulder polish is a lovely bright pink shade with a hint of coral. The polish looks very coral/pink in the bottle but once its on your nails it looks more pink. It is quite a vibrant pink which is nice. It has the brilliant Essie quality which I love. It applies amazingly with its wide brush and its gorgeously smooth formula. I love the opaqueness of Essie polishes and how they make your nails look great with minimal effort. There are no steaks after coat number two. I am delighted to add this colour to my collection as I only had a handful of Essie polishes before.

I can't praise Essie highly enough. In my eyes their polishes are just perfect. I know some people don't get on well with them but luckily I do. 

What are your thoughts on Essie polishes? Do you have a favourite?

I'm A Beauty Blogger, Get Me Out Of Here! Tag Post

So, the lovely Hannah from Locked In A Bow tagged me to do the I'm A Beauty Blogger, Get Me Out Of Here tag post.  You can find her awesome blog at http://lockedinabow.blogspot.co.uk. Please go check it out!:) Her blogging friends Rochelle and Natasha created this tag. You can see their information in the photo above. Go checkout their blog too!:) http://next-route-style.blogspot.co.uk

Here are the questions and my answers:

1) You can only take ONE product into the jungle (aka your luxury item). What would you choose and why?

This is a difficult question. I am going to presume that I already have suntan lotion. I think it would be between a good lip balm with a high SPF in it so I wouldn't burn my lips, a face cream with high SPF so I could keep my skin hydrated and my favourite Neutrogena shampoo so I could properly wash my hair and rinse away all the dirt and bugs.

2) What would be your main pre jungle worry?

Um all of the creepy crawlies, especially the ticks! Bleugh! Also, the heights and possibly having to eat jungle stuff!…Probably just everything about it would be a worry!

3) You only have five minutes to get ready before going into the jungle, what would be your quick beauty routine?

I would panic! I would want to try and put on foundation and concealer but since everyone would see me without make-up the entire time it would probably be a better idea to go in without a fresh, clean washed and cleansed face!

4) Last year we saw Helen Flanagan wearing her hair in a top bun. What would be your signature hairstyle?

I think I would definitely wear my hair in a plait. I have a mass of curly, extremely frizzy hair which sucks up moisture and then triples in size. Without hair dryers and straighteners I would need a way to make sure it wasn't let loose otherwise it would take over the camp! Haha!

5) For moral support, which female celebrity would you like to be in the jungle with you?

Mollie King from The Saturdays would be great for moral support. She is always cheery too and would be cheering everyone on. Especially the girls! I can imagine she would be like “woo girl power”.

6) Everyone’s given a role in the camp. What lifestyle skill would you bring to the jungle?

I’m quite good at being resourceful so I would probably be finding things we could use as substitutes for objects we didn't have.

7) What one thing about being a beauty blogger sometimes makes you want to scream ‘Get Me Out Of Here’?

I really like being a blogger so I'm not sure…..

8) Challenge – This is a once in a life time opportunity. You’re up for a trial to face your fears or try something new, what would you choose to do and why?

Probably any trial with heights involved because I hate heights! I so would not jump out of a plane though. All of the trials would be a challenge!

I tag everyone who is reading this to do this tag post! The questions are really fun and not things you would normally think about

Let me know if you do this tag!:)

Please go and checkout Hannah's blog as well as Rochelle and Natasha's!

The Winter Tag

I have a major backlog of tag posts and awards nominations which I will be doing a collective post on as I have been so rubbish at keeping up with them.

I have however finally managed to do the winter tag post which the lovely Rosie from eatreadglam.wordpress.com tagged me in. Rosie's bloglovin link is https://www.bloglovin.com/blog/7907471/eat-read-glam . Please go and check out her awesome blog. She really is lovely! Rosie was tagged by kimberley- you can see her information in the photo above. I would also recommend checking out her blog too!:) Kimberley's bloglovin link is http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/6578669/ .

Right, I am kind of cheating by not doing this post properly because of lack of time but if you want to do it you can list 12 facts about yourself, answer the below questions, tag 12 bloggers to do the tag and let them know you have tagged them.

Here are my answers to the questions:

What are your favourite things about Winter?

I love that it means that we are close to Christmas. If we didn't have Christmas to cheer us up through the dark days it would be so gloomy!

What is your favourite Winter outfit?

ooh right now it would have to be my new Christmas jumper with some jeggings but I guess I am also loving wearing my red velvet skater dress with tights and leggings!!(yes it is that cold where I live in Scotland that I need to wear both!)

What is your favourite Winter food?

Definitely Mince Pies. They are not available in the Summer so they are a total winter treat!YUM!

Favourite Winter drink?

Hmmm. I don’t really have one so I will have to just say a nice warm cup of peppermint tea.

What is your dream way to spend a Winter’s day?

Well I love to snuggle up all cosy in my living room and watch christmas films with my family. However, on a sunny winters day it is nice to be outside in the fresh air despite it being bitterly cold up here in the North!

How do you like to do your make-up in the Winter?

I wear the same kind of make up all year round as I don’t wear lipstick or eye shadow so don't really have to worry about changing shades due to the season…that probably sounds really boring!

What are you hoping Santa brings you?

Some pretty nail polish…and lots of fun with my family!:) I’m really looking forward to Christmas  this year!

What are the first three things that remind you of Winter?

Icy arctic winds….frost….snow.

What is your favourite Winter song?

I don’t have a fav winter song but I do love all christmas songs!I have multiple favourites:) e.g. I wish it could be Christmas Everyday,Last Christmas,All I Want For Christmas Is You!

What is your favourite Winter memory?

When I was about 8 we had 12 inches of snow and school was closed. I remember my dad took me to a field where all my friends and there parents were playing in the snow. All of the adults helped us roll giant balls to make massive snowmen.  Looking back it was a bit dangerous though so I’m not recommending it!

What is your favourite Winter scent?

oooh Cinnamon!!! I don’t have a fav winter perfume but I love the cinnamon room spray that my mum uses at christmas!

Finish this sentence… If I could have one wish this Christmas it would be…..

For happiness, health and good luck for all as well as world peace and an end to poverty…when I was a kid I actually used to wish for that every birthday and I think I used to ask santa as well when I was writing my christmas letter! hehe!

I tag anyone who is reading this post who would like to take part!

Let me know if you do it!:)

Thanks again to Rosie for tagging me and Kimberley for coming up with the great questions!

Sally Hansen Nail Polish Strips: You're A Star

I've got some more awesome Sally Hansen Nail Polish Strips to show you. This time they are called You're A Star. These strips look amazing on your nails. They are a crazy metallic bright blue colour which I absolutely love and they stars on them. I am a major fan of blue nail polish although I don't seem to wear it that much. So, I was really glad to have bright blue nails again. I think I might try to recreate these by finding a pretty metallic blue polish and attempting to paint little stars on my nails myself.

These nail polish strips actually looked even better in real life.

Do you like blue nail polish? What do you think of these nail polish strips?

Bourjois 1 Second Polish: Blue No Blues

Bourjois's 1 Second Polish in Blue No Blues is a really bright spring/summer polish but I love it and will wear it when ever I feel like it no matter the season. It's also brilliant for nail art. If you have not read my original review of this polish in Turquoise Block I will give you a quick recap. The polish has an awesome wide brush which provides excellent coverage along with a great gel like formula. It is streak free and opaque after two coats and also dries quickly. However, it does take longer than just one second to dry! I think Bourjois were getting just a bit ambitious with the idea of one second polish!

I definitely recommend these polishes! Especially this gorgeous blue! It's such an amazing colour!

What do you think of this colour? Have you tried any of these polishes before?

Sorry, I'm Not Good With Technology!

Oh jeez, does anyone else feel like they are just not good with technology? Specifically technology related to blogging? I'm always using google to help me to try and improve my blog and even just to understand technical terms. Even with the help of google I am nowhere near having a lovely looking blog like the majority of blogs around at the moment. I've had to figure out really weird ways to upload my photos and no matter how much googling I do I just have not managed to get my photos centred and it really annoys me. At least I know people don't follow my blog because it has a fancy layout hehe!

I just wondered if anyone else suffers from the same hurdles? Also, I wanted to let you know that my blog hopefully won't look like this forever as I will have to get someone to help me out with the design. Does anyone have any recommendations for blog designers?

Christmas Gift Ideas 3: Ciate Tree Trinkets

I have been trying to resist purchasing these amazing Ciate Tree Trinkets since they were released. However, I am still totally lusting after them. They would make such a great early Christmas gift for your friends and family if they are nail polish fans like me. You could give each of your friends one to hang on their tree until Christmas or you could divide them up with your sisters or cousins(or anyone who likes sparkly nail polish). Alternatively, you could give someone this whole set of polishes. These tree trinkets are extremely cute.  I would love to hang polish on my tree especially if the polish came in little baubles like this. What makes them even more festive is that the six polishes that you get are all glitter polishes. They will look gorgeous on both your tree and on your nails.

If you would rather make your own Christmassy nail polish gifts I think you should go for it! You could buy some great Barry M polishes and find a way of hanging them on your tree.

These are such a brilliant idea. I can't wait to see how Ciate can top this gift next year!

What do you guys think? Would you split these polishes up or give them as a set to someone?

Sally Hansen Nail Polish Strips: Rock N Roar

I have quite a back log of Sally Hansen's Nail Polish Strips to post about as I haven't had much time to do my nails for the last few weeks so I've just been slapping on some gorgeous nail polish strips. The Rock N Roar nail strips are no exception. They are so pretty and such a different type of leopard print. I know I am constantly harping on about how much I love these so I hope you don't find these posts boring. I love these nail strips so I thought some of you might like to see all of the different designs I have been wearing. It might even be good inspiration for some nail art!

I think this design is gorgeous! What do you think? I would love to hear your thoughts!

If you want to read my original massive review of these strips  you can find it here: http://scottishstefsnails.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/sally-hansen-nail-polish-strips.html

Butter London Fiver Polish

Butter London's Fiver polish is a lovely pale mint green colour. I am rather fond of my pastel polishes and this is another awesome one to add to my collection. I really believe you can never have too many mint polishes because they are all slightly different shades! Hehe! Anyway, I adore this beautiful colour. I'm pretty sure mint is in fashion for autumn/winter this year so if you are conscious of the trends then you can't go wrong with your good old mint polish this season. 

You can read my review post of Butter London: Trout Pout polish here: http://scottishstefsnails.blogspot.co.uk/2013/08/butter-london-polish-trout-pout.html

Do you love your mint polish? Which is your favourite mint polish?

NOTD: Dogtooth

Here is a quick NOTD post. Today I am wearing my Sally Hansen Nail Polish Strips in Check It Out. I have loved dogtooth patterns since I was a young teenager so I am so happy that I can actually have a perfect dogtooth pattern on my nails thanks to Sally Hansen. I have never tried to paint a dogtooth pattern onto my nails by hand and to be honest I'm not sure I would manage to pull it off. Therefore, I think these nail polish strips are AWESOME!

Let me know what you think of them!

Essie Cascade Cool Pink Polish

If you have read my previous posts you will know that I am a major fan of Essie nail polish. I love everything about them. They are awesomely pigmented, the formula is great and the brush is amazing. Essie's Cascade Cool polish is a really beautiful pastel pink colour and it definitely lives up to my high opinion of Essie polish. It is such a lovely polish that is not too bright and not too dull. As usual with Essie polish it is opaque and streak free within two coats. This polish would look amazing with one of the pastel winter coats that are in the shops this season.

Have you tried this polish? What is your favourite pink polish?:)

Bourjois 1 Second Polish: Lavender

I cannot rave about the Bourjois 1 Second polishes enough. I have already reviewed Turquoise Block and am so glad I have bought their Lavender polish as it is gorgeous. Everything about this polish is great! The colour, the formula, the pigmentation and of course the amazing brush. The only fault I can find is that unlike Turquoise Block you need to apply two coats of polish for total opaqueness. Even so, I think this polish is brilliant and would definitely recommend it!

This polish looks really blue in the photographs but it is more Lavender in real life.

Have you tried this polish? What do you think of it? Let me know your thoughts!

Here's the link to my Turquoise Block review: http://scottishstefsnails.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/bourjois-turquoise-block-polish.html

Christmas Gift Ideas #2: Nails Inc's Christmas Crackers

I am really getting into the Christmas spirit early this year so I thought it would be a great excuse to give you some more ideas for presents. I tried extremely hard to resist buying Nails Inc's Christmas Crackers but in the end I gave in and bought them for myself as another special treat after a long and stressful year. I am so glad I did because I think these crackers will be the highlight of my Christmas gifts this year. They are so gorgeous and sparkly so even without pulling them they will look amazing on my Christmas tree. I think the selection of polishes inside the crackers is brilliant. They include some of their new releases too- and at a pretty decent price for the amount of full sized polishes that you get.

I will definitely be displaying these beautiful crackers around my house this Christmas before I pull them with my family. 

What do you guys think? Maybe you could make crackers for your friends & family yourself and fill the with an assortment of other polishes like Barry M!

I would love to hear if there are any other nail polish related gifts that you will be wishing for or giving this year!

NOTD: Purple & Pink Polka Dots

This is just a quick post to show you this pretty purple and pink combo I've put together. I've used Leighton Deny's purple polish called Rebel and Essie's Cascade Cool pink polish. I love polka dot nail art because it is so easy to do with a dotting tool. Plus polka dots always look so cute. It is definitely a good way of jazzing up plain nail polish.

What do you think? Do you like polka dot nail art?

Sally Hansen Nail Polish Strips: Cut It Out

I received these Sally Hansen Nail Polish Strips called Cut It Out for my birthday and I think they are one of my favourite designs out of all the strips that I have tried. I have not seen them on Amazon again at an affordable price so I am so glad I got them when I did. The pattern is so pretty and intricate I don't think I'd ever be able to paint my nails like this. This design is definitely a great way to wear monochrome nails. Monochrome is something I love anyway so these nail polish strips were so awesome to wear. They looked really great!

Do you like monochrome nails? Are you good at painting intricate patterns on your nails? Any tips?

Leighton Denny's Get Your Cote

Since lots of people liked my post on Topshop's orange polish called Stage Dive I thought I would publish another bright polish post. So, here it is!

Leighton Denny's Get Your Cote is a pretty bright blue polish. I don't really have many polishes this colour so was glad to add this polish to my collection. I really love the Leighton Denny polish bottles. There is something so nice and luxurious about them. The actual polish itself was a bit thin although I almost got full coverage after two coats. You might be able to see in the photos that my nails look a bit streaky. This is a shame but I think most polishes this colour are a bit thin. I am not quite sure why though! The brush is quite thin and small but it was better than I thought it would be in terms of applying the polish. 

I think the end result it rather pretty though whether the quality of this polish lives up to its high price tag I am really not sure!

Have you tried Leighton Denny polishes? What do you think of them?

Sponge Nail Art

I got some lovely metallic Topshop polishes for my birthday and decided to do what I feel I do best- be creative. So I painted my nails with black polish and let it dry. Then I went a bit crazy on my nails with a sponge and the gorgeous metallic polishes. I think this is such an easy way to create your own unique nail art, especially if you struggle a bit with it. You can't make any mistakes with this technique which is awesome. Obviously,you need to tidy up around your nails once you have finished dabbing on the colour with the sponge but there is not much else involved in the process. 

I found it really difficult to get good photos of this polish. It was even more awesome in real life. It's a shame it doesn't always show up on camera!

The colours I have used with this design look really autumnal which I am loving. That wasn't my intention when I started but I think its great.

Have you tried this technique before? What do you think of it?

Topshop's Stage Dive Polish

I know it is winter and a lot of people like to switch to wearing more autumnal polish shades. However, I am not really bothered about wearing seasonal polish and tend to wear whatever colour I feel like whether it be bright or wintry no matter what the season. I know lots of other people feel the same. So, I am going to mix a couple of brighter polish posts in with my more festive posts. 

I love Topshop's orange polish which is called stage dive. I have been so impressed with the Topshop polishes. I think the formula and pigmentation of the polish is great and the brush is surprisingly good. I think the polish is such a gorgeous colour and my thinking is if you feel like wearing orange polish in winter go for it!!:)

I think you can tell from the below photos that the formula is pretty damn good!

What do you think? Have you tried this polish before?

Retro Nail Post

We've been having a major clear out in my house for the last few weeks. It is amazing how much rubbish you can have in your house! However, at the bottom of a box I found some old nail tattoos that I had when I was a kid in the mid 1990's. I was so excited to find them as I remember how much fun I had with them at the time. I think I got them in packs from Tammy Girl (anyone remember that shop??). My favourites were the coloured ones but I only found the glow in the dark ones as I think I had used up all of the coloured ones. They actually still glow in the dark after all this time. I can't wait to have a sneaky try of these nail tattoos as I remember them being way easier to use than the water transfers you get now.

There are some super cute tattoos on the sheet that I found. Although, the Mona Lisa and Elvis Presley ones are a little odd! There are even Marilyn Monroe tattoos and randomly some little pigs!! Apparently that's just how we rolled in the 90's :-).

Did any of you have these when you were a kid?

Christmas Gift Ideas #1: Ciate Mini Mani Month Advent Calendar

November is finally here which means that it is now socially acceptable to write Christmas themed posts, listen to Christmas music and think about buying presents. I have started pretty early this year to make sure I am organised so i don't have to stress in December. 

I got a Ciate Mini Mani Month advent calendar last year and I absolutely loved opening it every morning before work and getting a new polish each day. It was so much fun and such a treat every single day. It's exactly what a polish addict needs everyday before having to trudge to work/uni in the darkness and the icy cold weather. I am absolutely loving the packaging too! It is so cute this year and very Christmassy!

I am really excited about this years calendar and looking forward to start opening it in December. I have bought this for myself as a special end of year treat but I think it would make a great early Christmas gift. Its definitely a great Christmas present to myself:). If you need a gift for someone who adore nails polish then you definitely can't go wrong with this.

I will try to post every day in December so you can see which polish I get as the days go by. If any of you have any other beauty advent calendars please let me know as I'd love to see the exciting products you will be opening every day!:)