Valentines Day Nails

Here is the second post for my Valentines Day themed series, Valentines Day nails! Now, i'm really not very good at doing my own nails, intact I'm pretty terrible. Normally I have my best friend on hand (search the hashtag #nailsbylivv to check her out), but as I'm currently 3000 miles away from her, I had to do it all by myself. Even though I'm not the best at nail art, I have a pretty hefty nail polish collection back at home. Essie nail polished are by far my favourite, I love their colour range, the polish lasts a good amount of time and I'm a sucker for cute packaging. I figured a nail polish post would be the perfect thing to get you in the mood for Valentines Day and maybe even give you a bit of inspiration. 

I have created two different looks for you guys, a subtle look and a more vibrant look. The subtle polish is probably something I would go for, mainly because my boyfriend hates nail polish (sadly for me), and secondly its pretty much fool proof - I.E yours truly can manage to do this without messing it up! 

For this look you will need a pale pink, a pearly shimmery shade, a cocktail stick and your favourite red.

This look is pretty simple to achieve, simply manicure your nails and prep them using your favourite base coat (mine is this one) Once your base coat has dried apply two coats of your pale pink, I used Ballet Slippers. Once your polish has completely dried apply as many coats of your glitter polish as you like, my favourite for this is Pure Pearlfection. Again, wait for this layer to completely dry, this is very important so you don't smudge your nails when you apply your heart.

 Once you're nails are completely dry, dip your cocktail stick into your polish. Cover the end of your stick in the polish and lightly dab two dots on your nail where you want your heart to be placed, then lightly drag some of the nail polish down at a 45 degree angle, joining the polish at a point at the bottom of your nail. Here is a step-by-step guide on how to do this. Finish by painting a layer of your favourite top coat, mine is this one from Butter London. I always use an instant drying top layer as it helps me prevent smudging my nails!

And ta-da, you have a little heart accent!  

For my more festive valentines day nails you will need a rosy pink, a light pink, a sheer shimmery pink, a glitter polish, a cocktail stick and a red polish. 

Start by painting your thumb, ring and middle finger with your light pink polish, again I used the shade Ballet Slippers. Then paint your pinky and index finger with your rosy pink polish, I used Van D'go. Let your polish completely dry, then paint a layer of you shimmery pink on your pinky finger, I used Nude Beach to add a slight hint of iridescent shimmer, then paint a layer of glitter polish on your thumb and middle fingers, I used Pure Pearlfection. Once your nails have completely dried, paint a little heart using red nail polish and a cocktail stick your ring finger. Follow with your favourite top coat to prevent your nails from chipping.  

Pure Pearlfection, Nude Beach, Ballet Slippers, Van D'go

These colours look beautiful together and really compliment each other. They are the perfect combination for Valentines Day! 

Pure Pearlfection, a subtle silver glitter polish. 

Nude Beach, a sheer, iridescent peachy pink polish. 

Ballet Slippers, a very light pink polish.

Van D'go, an opaque peachy pink polish. 

Which nail combination would you wear on Valentines Day?

Loving Lately #1

I tried doing the popular post 'Monthly Favourites', but I found I don't have enough different 'favourites' to talk about each month. Instead, I have decided to start doing 'Loving Lately' posts, where I post my latest favourite products when I decide I have enough to write about. Otherwise I would just be writing the same post over and over, which is no fun for any of us. 

Let's start off with cheap and cheerful with Loreal's Micellar Water. A popular product among beauty bloggers alike and a great dupe for the Bioderma Micellar Water. I really liked Bioderma for removing my makeup, but its not the easiest to get a hold of in England. When I found this gem in Boots for a steal at £3 I had to try it - and it's just as good as everyone says it is. It dissolves all of my makeup and leaves my skin feeling cleansed and refreshed. It's a great alternative for Bioderma, it works just as well for a fraction of the price. 

I have been after some more Autumnal nail polish shades recently as most of my collection is full of pale pink shades (This is not my doing, blame my sister). Superdrug has had a 3 for 2 offer on lately, so I couldn't resist picking up some new Essie nail polishes to add to our ridiculously large collection. The shade I have been wearing the most lately is Cocktail Bling which is one of their newest shades. Its a lovely grey shade with a blueish hue which I feel is perfect for the winter season. I plan on pairing this with Nails Inc's Snowflake effect polish when it gets colder as an 'icey' looking base. 

I finally jumped on the bandwagon and got myself a Caudalie Beauty Elixir. This is one of the beauty cult products that every other beauty blogger has raved about, and of course it lived up to the hype. It's a very refreshing mist that gives you a glowing complexion. Apparently Victoria Beckham uses this to give her that dewy glow. I spray this before and after I apply my makeup to give my skin a boost of brightness. 

Also a word to the wise - Don't be an idiot like me and order it off of Net-A-Porter. The black box is pretty, but I paid £18 for the 30ml bottle when you can get it on Feel Unique for a tenner. I feel slightly cheated, but it is a great product. I just know where to shop next time! 

As I am slightly obsessed with makeup, I tend to buy products without using up the old ones I own first. This typically happens with foundation and mascara, I can't help myself. I don't tend to repurchase many of the same foundations because I go through so many I forget how good some of my favourites are. I have been using the Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua as a lot recently and I think it may be my all time favourite foundation. I know myself, Im still going to end up trying out more foundations, but I know that this is one I am going to repurchase again and again. It has the most amazing, dewy finish on the skin and it lasts all day. I will do a full review on this soon, but I am absolutely in love with this product and I don't know why I went so long without trying it. It works great with the Nars Copacabana Illuminator (I always end up with the song Copacabana by Barry Manilow stuck in my head whenever I read of the name of this, please tell me i'm not alone?) I apply it to my cheekbones and wherever else I feel I need highlighting to add a subtle iridescent glow. 

When I was in Chicago a few weeks ago I ordered myself the Premium Brush Kit from Sigma as a treat for becoming qualified in Makeup Artistry. Sigma brushes are by far the best I have ever tried and at the moment my favourite is the F-20 Large Face brush. Its super soft, its big and it applies powder like a dream. It seems like a pretty basic brush to have in a favourites post, but for some reason this one has impressed me the most so far. I like the size of it, it applies a good amount of powder all over the face in seconds without disturbing the foundation underneath because its so soft. 

If you follow me on twitter you would have already heard me rave about this lipstick. 'Shy Girl' from MAC had been a love of mine for years. It's my perfect nude as I love peach toned shades. However, I recently discovered 'Peach Blossom' and now i'm in love. Its more pink toned than 'Shy Girl' but still has a peachy tone to it which makes it the perfect lipstick for me. Its a very wearable shade and compliments a brown smokey eye look perfectly! 

Finally, my MAC Pro Palette which I wrote a lot about this in my Birthday Haul post a little while ago. I have been using it every single day and it didn't take me long to fill it up. I added the shades Honey Lust, Scene and Blackberry so I can create some versatile looks with just the one palette. I am going to New York next Friday, and even though I intend to start another Pro palette, I think this will be the only one I will be taking with me as it has all of the colours I need to create most of my favourite eye looks.  

What products are you loving lately?