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

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

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

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

Hot-to-Tropical

Something which is so hot right now, is juicy colours and the patterns of this season’s tropical trend. It mixes bold designs (can be anything from floral to fruity), and presents them in a delicious way. Think amazon rainforest in a coral wedge, or a paradise adventure with flowers in your hair and a pineapple cocktail.

This look screams holiday escapism - if we can’t be sunning ourselves in a tropical paradise, then the next best thing is to wear one, right? Right. 

This is a chance to really get involved in lots of seasonal trends, try a midi skirt in vibrant florals, with flower earrings and a zesty top, it’s 1950’s chic meets a watermelon margarita; elegant and tasty. I tried this out with a lovely midi from Mango, paired with a super high blond- wood heel from French Connection and a sheer yellow sleeveless blouse from H&M...tropical wear for a sunny lunch!

If you’re feeling brave you can fully immerse yourself in a matching 2 piece (think Jessie J in the wonderful river island 2 piece), with some equally vibrant accessories, or for a toned down everyday look, you could wear one statement piece and let that do the talking with more simple colours and accessories. Talking of accessories, I stumbled upon a pair of fantastic floral earrings from ASOS, they hang in a hoop and resemble a holiday flower- behind-the-ear look - pop a wave in your hair and you could be in hawaii. Hot.

Hints and Tips - you can also make your nails part of the story with a glam tropics inspired mani. Try zesty colours like orange, lemon or coral or cooler shades of leaf green or ocean blue, or if you really want to pimp them out, use a nail art pen ( I love the ones by model’s own), to draw out a palm tree over a zingy background. It will make you wish you were there!

Love Lauren xx

Useful links to tropical temptation:

River Island Crop Trousers (Jacket Available)

Floral Wedge

Pineapple Sunnies

Pastel Punch

Pastel. Muted is more, washed out doesn’t mean tired and boring, and edgy - hell yes. Think typical pastels; lilac, mint, lemon, baby blue, peachy pink...(you get the idea) and mix this sexy tonal trend with snakeskin, cracked black polish or leather. If Hells’s Angels meets actual angels isn’t quite your thing, don’t panic - nudes and browns are still a super hot way to big up your pastel chic without rolling out the Harley. 

To put the beaut into beautiful, try colour blocking with a pastel palette. I love soft-hued skinny jeans and Topshop have a great selection at the moment. Pop these on with a lemon cami, lilac kitten heels and a mint clutch and you’ll be perfect in pastels. For a more casual look, grab the same jeans and your trusty nude heels and jacket to turn heads without screaming crazy colour.

There was never a love so sweet as that of pastel and lace, big boys from the fashion industry have been rocking this couple in their spring/summer ’12 trends. Check out Louis Vuitton’s dip dye aqua meets lace croquet dress or Dolce and Gabbana’s nearly nude, cheeky floral lace midi bodycon in forget-me-not blue! Think The Little Mermaid meets high fashion...a fairytale for the modern age.

If you want to rock this trend on a smaller scale, think face and body. Nails are the perfect way to accessorize with the best of them, minimal effort required. Pick a pastel nail colour and throw a cracked polish over it for a spicy twist, (I love BarryM Croc Nail effects). If you want to pimp up your makeup - I suggest a bold pastel lip with tanned skin, or lilac eyes with a vampy flick, the options are endless, and ultimately down to what you love. Pastel perfection is in your hands!

Love, 

Lauren xx

Useful Links 

Mint Clutch

Lilac Shoe

Topshop Skinnies

Lemon Cami

Mint Socks

Very Blonde to Dark Blonde

It started as it usually does - I opted to freshen up my naturally dark blonde hair with a couple of highlights for spring. 3 years (and multiple ‘full-heads’) later, I was entirely ash blonde.

If you’re naturally a lighter blonde, or have the time/money to maintain this look, then it can look super-chic, but if like me, you just couldn’t keep up (after a minimum of 2 weeks my roots would rear their ugly head), it can end up looking a bit...cheap.

With really light highlights on darker hair, it isn’t even just the regrowth which can present a problem - the colour itself can turn coppery rather than silvery - a difficult colour to pull off with ANY skin tone. [WARNING- John Frieda Go Blonder spray does work, but the results can turn your hair far more coppery than you’d imagine - my hair dresser thought I was a natural red head from my roots...].

As I like to wear rather a lot of bronzer and tan all year round, to ‘maintain a healthy glow’, I got fed up of this whiteish blonde and decided to tone it down to something more complimentary of my skin tone. I initially opted for low- lights at the salon, and these were great...for about 3/4 weeks max. As with all (even permanent) hair dyes, the colour faded and I was pretty much back to square one. 

With this, I just decided to bite the bullet and home dye my hair. I hadn’t done this in YEARS, and needless to say I was pretty nervous, but comforted that the salon was only a phone-call away, I tried out Clairol nice n’ easy foaming dye, in dark blonde. I honestly couldn’t have expected better results. This product is amazing and does exactly what it claims to do; giving you a really mulit-tonal, warm colour, which easily looks as though it could’ve been achieved professionally. I have never looked back and I highly recommend it, (plus it’s around £7 a box which is a LOT cheaper than visiting the salon every few weeks)!

To freshen up this look, all I would suggest (and will shortly be doing myself), is just to pop to a salon and ask for a few (not even a 1/4 head of) highlights, just of the very front, framing hairs around the face. This will just lift the whole look, becoming summer fresh in an instant - without taking the highlighting too far!

Let me know any of your haircare tips or advice,

Love Lauren xx