A Galaxy On My Nails - NCLA Limited Edition Nail Wraps Posted by Unknown |

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The galaxy print was always going to be a winner. Capturing the star-flecked rainbow hues of the great unknown taps into the romantic in all of us and has seduced us time and time again on skirts, shirts, trousers and tees, you name it – I still need to get my hands on a pair of galaxy print leggings. Now the Milky Way is right at our finger-tips with the ever-so-clever NCLA nail wraps launched this week at Cult Beauty. The minute I clapped eyes on these Galaxy beauties (a NCLA collaboration with Hollywood nail artist Stephanie Stone) I knew I had to get my mitts on them – many thanks to the lovely ladies at Cult Beauty for sending me a set to try out. I'm really rubbish, compared to most, when it comes to the fiddly business of nail painting and nail art – I always, always mess it up. Now, these nail wraps are pretty foolproof and will probably prove a doddle for the more accomplished nail artist, but here's how I did it. A quick file and cuticle tidy, then a coat of clear varnish. You peel the right sized wrap for your nail (there are more wraps and sizes than you need to choose from) and stick it on, smoothing out any bubbles and creases by pulling and pressing. I snipped off the excess as my nails are so short, then used the supplied file to tidy. Read the instructions, which tell you to file down. If you file across it ruins the finish, as I, of course, discovered. To finish, a couple more coats of varnish and done. Major advantages include no drying time, no potential chipping and from what I can see quite a long life of a week or more (one of the Cult Beauty girls told me hers lasted so long she had to take them off as so much nail bed was showing). Anyway, I fell for this Galaxy set, but I'm also loving the So L.A.! sunset + palm trees. Each pack comes with enough for two applications, maybe more depending on your nails. You can see the whole range of collaborations here. I'm definitely going to be stocking up - there's an offer of a free Peter Som limited edition with the purchase of any three wraps.

And now for the arty ones...

 

Instagramming a Five-Minute Catch-Up Posted by Unknown |

I've got a whole load of posts to prepare for the next few days but I'm a bit bleary-eyed and short on time. So, in true fashion blogger fashion ;) here is a quick catch-up on the last 24 hours. What's more, I've managed to do this entire post from bed on the iPad using a combination of apps (Diptic, Photoshop Touch and Blogger). See, it is possible. Just hoping the image size comes out ok. Oh, and I can't figure out how to insert links. Or post the image above the text. Publish and be damned. I've just had to fix this all on my laptop... couldn't stand it. Not such a success after all. :( Btw, we watched Looper last night, which is an utterly brilliant sci-fi movie. Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Bruce Willis leaving you with a head full of time-travel conundrums.

1. Yesterday's first snow shot, little birdy feet that look like an aeroplane flight path.
2. A totally impulsive, but so delighted, sale purchase in Islington's Diverse boutique. I've been lusting after Sophie Hulme's designs for near on a year, so with more than 50% off and it was the last one... I couldn't resist. This Plate Satchel looks amazing worn cross-body. Outfit post to come, natch. (In blue – new season or just not in sale? – here. Will do some more sale research...)
3. Hauling out the old Moonboots (available from New Look) for some serious snow and cold protection. I don't care how many weird looks I get on the tube, and from my dentist. They rock.
4. My first ever nail art efforts. I think I might finally get it. (These are Nail Art Nail Tattoos.)