Friday, April 20, 2012

YSL French Manicure Kit Review

French Manicures always look classy, no matter who, when and where; they are the Chanel of nail polish - classic and timeless.

If you don't fancy going to the salon for a mani treat, then fear not. This fantastic kit from YSL will do the job for you - minimum effort required.

It consists of two pens, one for the white tip and one for the sheer pinky overcoat. It's literally the easiest thing to do. Simply draw on your tips, allow to dry, then coat with the pink polish!

It is a 10 out of 10 product, and produces fantastic results even done by yourself, but great to share with friends and family for a properly salon style finish.

I highly recommend and give two (highly manicured) thumbs up. Yes YSL!!

Let me know any of your home salon hints and tips,

Love Lauren xx

Thursday, April 19, 2012

Dalmatian Nails - Woof!

I saw a nail wrap for Dalmatian print nails and I thought it looked fantastic, but probably so easy to do by hand so I just decided to give it a go!

I began with an undercoat, (Sally Hansen as mentioned in my easy Easter nails post), waited for it to dry and then thickly coated each nail with BarryM nail paint in white.

After carefully waiting for that to dry, (I found I didn't need a second coat - this polish is fantastic value for money), I got out my old faithful models own and WAH! pen in black, and just dotted Dalmatian-esque dots all over the place, the more random the better! If you're too precise with this it can easily become polka dots, but I was looking for something more...doggy style!

I then did a coat of clear varnish on top, once dry, to simply protect the design, and away I went. Such beautiful paws for thought...

Love Lauren xx

Thursday, April 12, 2012

10 Hot Picks for Spring/Summer '12

There are so many great shops and fantastic online sites around at the moment, I selected ten of my recent favourites to show you for this season. It's about beauty on a budget, designer is fabulous but you can still look classy and chic without spending a fortune. These picks make me so excited for summer already, even in rainy England, bring on the July BBQs!


1) This is a wonderful dress my sister bought off ASOS.com, it is the right amount of girly, muted chic, without being overly fussy. The netted waistband is sexy, yet demure and gives it an elegant point of interest. Perfect with wedges (pictured are Topshop) for dinner and drinks, or sandals and a denim jacket for a picnic or stroll through town.





2) These sunglasses are again from ASOS.com and I absolutely love them. At £12 they are definitely a bargain, and they are absolutely worth the money, being the perfect size and a fantastic cat-eye shape, which screams 1950's retro - which is completely trending at the moment.




3) Number 3 on my list is this multi tonal wicker clutch by H&M. Its lightweight and versatile and at around only £8 its an absolute bargain! Think beach to bar, daywear or night-time must have, its a fashion steal!




4) Denim. Shorts. Two of the most important words in your summer vocabulary. They're versatile and come in a range of styles; a pure staple. I love these freshly brought in Topshop pair, the right amount of faded denim, short enough for drinks...yet long enough for tea with you grandma. Fantastic! And at £26 they won't break the bank but will guarantee no more 'what shall i wear...' meltdowns. You're welcome!








5) This pair of Miss KG Pumpkin espadrille wedges are fantastic for summer. They can be dressed down with jeans and a cami, or pimped out with a gorgeous summer frock and girly curls. I say yes, and at £55 they are a sound investment which will carry you through to autumn and beyond. At around 3/4 inches they are high enough to be sexy, but low enough to actually walk in throughout the day...now just sit back and wait for that royal garden party invite.


6) This lemon cami by H&M is perfect for brightening up any outfit. Send the mojitos our way...mix it up with some floral hot pants or keep it suave with some white jeans and nude platforms. Nobody can look sour in this little lemon number, beaut! Once again this is a bargain at £9.99. Plenty of money left for a cheeky cocktail...or three.






7) These blonde wood French Connection heels are definitely one of my fave buys of all time, let alone this season. At around 5 inches, (considering I'm nearly 5'11), they are higher than i'd normally consider, but just wow. They are amazing! They are a nice solid heel so you don't feel as though you'll topple over and the lining is padded and so comfy. Not only that but they go with EVEYTHING. I can't say enough good words about these, just fab. They do cost £120 but I promise you now - they are worth every penny and will last you for years to come.


8) The denim jacket. Similar to the denim shorts, it is pretty much a must have for any summer wardrobe. From maxis to minis to coloured shorts, this bad boy will take you through summer like a cool breeze. Around £30 from the old faithful H&M, it is a staple which once you have you won't be able to live without!


9) This wonderful piece by ASOS.com just screams on trend with the clash of vivacious prints. At around £20 it is such a fantastic buy, try with white jeans and a tux jacket for masculine meets fresh and feminine. Or pop on some coral hot pants and pair of sky high heels to take you out on the town...yes please.
10) Last but not least is a lovely pair of embellished sandals by those beauties French Connection again. At around £65 they are another investment buy, but made of the softest suede, you are purchasing pure comfort and style. The style makes any outfit look fantastic, with the jewels shouting designer. The colour goes with anything too, they will look great with bare legs or poking out of a pair of jeans!








I hope you like my ten summer picks, let me know your wardrobe essentials!


Love Lauren xx

Monday, April 2, 2012

Easy Easter Nails


I really fancied doing something colourful today, and as Easter is coming up I thought themed nails?...yes please! 

I started off as I always do, with a undercoat, just to protect the nails and make the colour last a bit longer. I use Sally Hansen in any form, all her coats of any description are good and do what they say on the tin, so I just popped a quick coat of this on before starting.
I picked out a few ‘Eastery” colours from my nail collection and just basically went about painting each nail in a different colour, it’s entirely up to you what you do - just go with how you feel. Something that always looks really hot, is a different colour on the ring finger of each hand - a great alternative to a full on rainbow. I chose to multi-colour up here, mainly for the purpose of this post... and because I think it looks pretty beaut.
Once I painted all my nails in a different colour and they were dry, I just painted a cute Easterish motif on random nails. I did this with the aid of Models own and WAH nail art pens in black and white, and...cocktail sticks. I used the latter by just dipping it into my colour of choice, (for example my yellow for a little chick), and then carefully used it like a mini paintbrush to create my design. It does take a steady hand, but I always think imperfections look cute and handmade...wobbly lines beat artificially perfect any day with kitsch ideas like this!
Once they were TOTALLY dry, I used a topcoat to protect...and then away I went. Easy Easter nails in the bag. Boom.
Let me know if you have any hot nail art design ideas?!
Love, Lauren xx
















My Tools

From left to right; H&M in Going Bananas, Models Own in Baby Blues, Models own and WAH in black and white, Revlon in Lilac Pastelle, Sally Hansen in Miracle Growth, Revlon in Charming, Revlon in Minted and Topshop in Peaches and Cream