Manicure Monday: Chanel Dragon

Hello all

This week I decided to stay with red nails as I loved my Essie 'Rock the Croc' manicure from Adamina Spa, that you can read about here. I've had Chanel's 'Dragon' polish for about 2 years, and due to its high price tag, I use it pretty sparingly. However, I decided this week to use it! 

A few weeks ago I also had a Chanel manicure, which you can read about here (this was for work, I don't tend to get manicures often. In fact, before the Adamina Spa manicure I hadn't paid for a manicure before!) At this manicure, I was kindly given a gift bag that included a Chanel base coat & high shine top coat. So as I was using Chanel colour, I thought I would try out a complete Chanel manicure!

 

L-R Chanel Base Coat, Dragon, Extreme Shine Top Coat

I am usually a fan of drug store nail polishes, especially Barry M & I've never had the urge to spend more than £10 on nail polish. I will say that the colour is very pigmented, and the polish is very thick; you could probably get away with only one coat as it's that thick and pigmented. However, it's still a lot for a nail polish. The base coat is nice, I generally use the Barry M 'Top coat, base coat and nail hardener' & I have to say this Chanel one was probably better as it was thicker & easier to apply. Similarly, the Chanel top coat is, as it states, extremely high shine & makes the polish look thick & almost gel like. 

It's very easy to achieve a professional looking manicure with the Chanel polishes, & I'm really happy with the results. Hopefully they last a long time without chipping. 

I was feeling in a very 'Chanel' mood after this, so had a look for a Chanel inspired iPhone case as I still haven't bought a case for my phone (as you've probably read, I recently got an iPhone 4S which I love) and came across this amazing one on Amazon

Although I've never tried the shade 'Fire', this case is so fabulous. I've very tempted to get it, as it's very cheap & very me!

Adamina Spa Manicure

Hello all

Sorry for my Monday Manicure becoming a Wednesday post! I don't where this week is going, I feel like it's still Monday yet it's already halfway through the week.

On Saturday, I went to the beautiful Adamina Spa in Kensington for a manicure with a friend. I never usually get manicures unless given as a gift as I feel, with my years of practice, I'm pretty good at painting my nails so why pay £20 and upwards for someone to do something I can do myself. However, I thought I would treat myself.

The day spa itself is beautifully decorated, very chic with Victorian-esqu wallpaper and features, an interior that I really like.  

On arrival, I was led to a stunning hallway that lead to the female changing rooms where I was given a robe, slippers and a locker. Even though I was only there for a manicure, they like to make you comfortable and really relaxed, into the 'spa' mode, hence the robe. The changing room was as lovely as all other rooms, and they offered several lotions, Q-tips and cotton pads so all guests could pamper themselves.

The manicure & pedicure room was separate, and best of all they play Sex & The City whilst you have your manicure! How amazing is that?! You can sit back, relax and be pampered whilst watching the iconic series. 

 The manicure itself was 50 minutes long and included shape, cuticle work, arm and hand massage & paint. It was incredibly luxurious and relaxing. All the polishes they use are by Essie, so there was a vast colour choice. But, being me, I played it safe and went for red to match my hair! The shade I chose was 'Rock the Croc', a dark yet vibrant red. Please excuse my boney claw-like fingers! Just focus on the nails.

 

Sorry for the grainy image. 

 My first time at Adamina Spa was lovely & I am definitely planning to go again, next time perhaps for a massage or facial.

The best part of the spa is that on your first visit you receive 50% off your first treatment. Then, if you introduce a friend, not only do they receive 50% off, but you receive 30% off your next treatment. There is no limit to the amount of friends you can introduce, so you can enjoy 30% off and having a lovely day at the spa with as many friends as you wish!

I really enjoyed my manicure at Adamina Spa, and would definitely recommend this spa for girlfriends or Mums and daughters as its a lovely way to bond and in such a nice location too!

5 Nail Shades Everyone Should Own!

Hello all!

I've really got an interest in nails at the moment. Browsing tumblr and instagram, I find such amazing nail art, from 3D bows to full on illustrations on your digits, nails are definitely a huge focus in beauty at the moment!

Although crazy nails are in, I think a simple coat of polish completes a look. As I have said before, unpainted nails, to me, make you look unkempt and like you haven't made an effort (a bit like when people put foundation and blusher on, but no mascara and eye make-up..why?!)

I like Chanel on Facebook, and they very recently posted about cult nail shade, and it get me thinking about 5 shades everyone should own. 

 

Like building a staple wardrobe, the following 5 shades should be in everyone's collection. Classic shades that will either blend into your outfit or give a classy pop of colour. I have also selected 3 brands for each shade: Save, Spend & Splurge.  

Shade 1-Taupe

 Barry M- Mushroom, Nails Inc.- Porchester Square, Chanel- Particuliere

Shade 2-Nude

 

Barry M- Pale Nude, Nails Inc.-Elizabeth Street, Chanel- Beige

Shade 3- Red

 

Barry M- Bright Red, Nails Inc- St. James, Chanel- Pirate

Shade 4- Dark Red

 

Barry M- Red Black, Nails Inc.- Victoria, Chanel- Rouge Noir

Shade 5- Black

 

Barry M- Black, Nails Inc.- Black Taxi, Chanel- Black Satin

Save

Barry M is a fantastic 'drugstore' brand, which I found years ago when going through my goth stage (a stage that I often revert to!) with their bright and highly pigmented dazzle dusts. Their nails paints are great value at only £3 and have a huge range of colours, textures and 'effects' available. 

Spend

Nails Inc, are mid-priced professional quality nail polishes. I really like the shade names of the polishes that are named after streets and places in London. At around £11 a bottle it is more expensive than drugstore brands but is a higher quality and I think the bottles are more visually appealing too.

Splurge

Chanel 'Le Vernis' nail colour are definitely splurge polishes. I have 2 Chanel polishes, and I have to admit they are nice quality. Thick but not stodgy colour with a really nice glossy finish. At £18 a bottle, they are very highly priced, but you're paying for the name. Plus the bottle looks nice amongst your collection.

As you can see all three brands have very similar colours at very different prices. You can easily build a classic nail polish collection, whatever your budget. From taupe and nude if you want your nails to go with anything, to bright red for a classic flash of colour, or dark red or black to release your inner rock chick but with a chic edge.

 

 

 

Manicure Monday #1

Happy Monday all!

Happily enjoying the sunny Bank Holiday Monday on my balcony, so I thought I would start a new (hopefully) weekly post- Monday Mani! 

I always have nail polish on, and I've become quite good at giving myself a regular old manicure due to the years of practice. In fact, in secondary school I was constantly told to remove my nail polish and my form tutor even wrote in my year book: "Now you'll have to buy your own nail polish remover...". I just feel that un-manicured nails make an outfit look unfinished. It especially annoys me when fashion advertisements in magazines have unmanicured nails, even more so if there is a close up on the nails! Argh!

So enough of my moaning! Here is my Monday Mani #1:

 I have combined two nail trends in one manicure. I attempted the 'half moon' manicure, free hand, and on my left it worked rather well! The right however, not so neat, so enjoy my left hand! I also used neutral colours, which is another nail trend at the moment. I was gifted some lovely premium quality nail polishes from Only Fingers and Toes so I wanted to showcase these too. They are so pigmented and give a lovely glossy finish.

 

Shades 'Yummy Mocha' & 'Sheer Nude' by Only Fingers and Toes

(Please excuse the awful quality of the pictures. I'm counting down the days until I can upgrade my very old BlackBerry to join the iPhone bandwagon! Instagram here I come...)

I really liked this manicure, and it goes with almost everything due to the neutral colours. Next time I attempt the half moon manicure however I will get the stickers from a french manicure set to ensure I create a really sharp line between the colours. But for a first, and free hand, attempt I am quite happy with them, and the polishes are great too!