I just love the SS12 trend of pastels and the easiest way to achieve the look is by painting your nails a lovely pastel shade.

With all the major nail polish companies, like OPI, Marvala, Chanel and Butter London jumping on the bandwagon to create lush colour choices, there is literally no excuse not to try it.

My favourite colours this season will without a doubt include oranges, corals and mints. 

What do you think?

OPI New York City Ballet

Good morning luscious ladies ^_^

I'm so excited for the last day of work today, and tomorrow it is sleep-in day!  Not only that but Good Friday and the end of Lent too! 

My husband and I gave up chocolate and sweeties for Lent - and boy am I happy we did.  Tomorrow and over the weekend we can enjoy some of our favourite chocolatey treats like Mini Eggs, Cream Eggs (yummy gooey) and our little Smarties Chocolate Chickens he bought us!  Hehehe

I've learnt a lot about myself during the process of giving things up, even in the face of temptation I did not give in to chocolate.  It seemed like the whole of Tesco's only stocked chocolates and sweets, in meetings there were sweets strewn across the table, and even our canteen seemed filled with chocolatey treats!  But I've resisted and feel a whole lot better.

My treats over the weekend will taste that much better because I resisted!

I'll be posting over the long weekend, and showing you some amazing easter nail art.  I'd also just like to apologize for blogging twice yesterday, it was supposed to be todays post but I was a bit excitable and posted it too early.  So yesterday you found out about Ciate's Caviar Manicures and at the same time how to pop on those falsies!

Today I'm talking muted soft pinks and glittery gorgeousness.  It can only be the OPI New York City Ballet Collection.



From left to right:  'Barre my Soul', 'You callin' me a Lyre?', 'Don't touch my tutu!', 'Care to danse?', 'My pointe exactly', 'Pirouette my Whistle'.

I think the whole collection is deliciously romantic and whispy and I can't wait to buy every single colour!  These items will be used numerous times because my collection is lacking in the softer colours. 

What do you think of the collection?  Do you love it or loathe it?

Glitter

How many of your fancy faces will be rocking GLITTER tonight?? If you’re planning on it, here are some quick tips & tricks along with some of our favorite glitters, glues + tools. We’ve also listed which stores will have them so you can go in and pick them up last minute…



1. NYX Cosemetics “Glitter Cream Palette” £5.00 River Island, Love Makeup and NYX Online
2. Deborah Lippman nail polish in “Boom Boom Pow” £18 House of Fraser, Nordstrom
3. OPI Muppets Collection in “Rainbow Collection” £10.80 Ebay and all good nail shops
4. Sephora Collection Glitter Eyeliner  Sephora
5. Sephora silicone glitter applicator brush Sephora
6. Makeup Forever Glitter Pots £10. Make up For ever Online
7. Makeup Forever Eye Seal £15 Make up For ever Online
8. TooFaced Glitter Glue £16.50 Amazon
9. Urban Decay “Heavy Metal Collection” £13 Ebay, Debenhams, and online
10. NARS “Super Orgasm” blush £21 Nars Online, Selfridges



BEST TIPS + TRICKS:

• If you choose silver, gold or opalescent glitter, you can wear almost any shade of lipstick with it (red, vamp, fuchsia, nude).
• If you choose colored glitter (blue, green, purple, red), you’ll want to pair it with a nude lip as you’re already making a strong statement with your eyes.
• Use a longwear cream eyeshadow (like the NYX palettes above) or use a glitter glue as your base so the glitter can adhere.
• Don’t apply under eye concealer or foundation until after you finish your glitter shadow. That way the glitter won’t have anything to stick to if it falls.
• For bigger glitter chunks, you can individually place pieces using lash glue.
• Use a piece of paper or a business card and place it underneath your eye to catch the glitter that falls off as you apply (or) apply extra face powder underneath your eye just before applying the glitter so you can easily swipe off the excess that falls below your eye using a powder brush and nothing will stick to your makeup.
• WASH OFF YOUR MAKEUP WHEN YOU GET HOME.
• Soak glitter glue with warm water.
• Gently go in with a makeup towelette afterward to clear off any remaining pieces of glitter so they don’t get stuck in your pores!

Cheers! Have fun and sparkle responsibly!

OPI Teenage Dream

I'm in cutesy mood today and thought I'd bring this mood straight onto my nails.  And I knew about the perfect nail polish to brighten up my day!  OPI's Teenage Dream from the Katy Perry range! 

I've got to admit this is one of my favourite 'go-to' polishes and never fails to make me happy.

This polish works very well on its own, even if you do need three coats for full coverage. It gives you a light, pink, glitter explosion. The base is a pink clear jelly and then it't got pink micro glitter and bigger holographic glitter in it. I really like it. It is very mild in the color, very sweet.

I think it would also be beautiful with only one layer over a sheer pink polish like Privacy please from OPI.

The fomula is a bit thick, a lot sticks to the brush. But it works, maybe because it's a glitter polish.

What do you think of this polish?  Love it/loathe it?

Have a wonderful evening!  Only one more day until the weekend!  TGIF :)

Have you heard the news?

My two favourite things collide!  Nicki Minaj and OPI?  Amazing!  Personally I'm gagging for some bright beautiful coloured nail polish to cheer me up after this long winter!  And what better than this amazing collection of bright beautiful coloured nail polish?  I'm in LOVE with Pink Friday, Did it On 'Em, Fly and Save Me.  Which one is your favourite?

Then Nicki Minaj has been ultra busy teaming up with Ricky Martin and M.A.C. as well!

This is going to be THE most exciting season ever!  Girly beautiful brights and pastels with a healthy mix of glittery metallics!  AM I EXCITED?  Heck yes!

Huge exciting hugs

Special GIVEAWAY [CLOSED]

I'm finally doing my much talked about GIVEAWAY!  Part of the giveaway will be shared with you my amazing followers. However, some parts will be kept secret to allow for this to a little bit exciting!  I'm very excited to offer you the chance of winning this lovely prize, and hope that you will enjoy the process of entering the competition! 

The main prize will be the Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette!

 

Other prizes include:  Naked Starflower Crush Body Wash, Foam Bath and Body Butter.  Then there is a fun little photo album with the funky gerbil on, a handbag hook, Hello Kitty keyring, handbag tissues, metallic red nail wraps, Montagne Jeunesse Chocolate Face Mask, Kiss Lashes, Soap and Glory's new 'A Great Kisser' Lip Moisture Balm in Juicy Peach and a little hamster pen. 

What does the secret giveaway mean?

It basically means that a part of the giveaway will be shown here, and another part will be kept secret.  I've listed the brands below to allow you to see whether any of the competition is worth entering. 

So, what brands are going to be in the giveaway?

Urban Decay, Benefit, Soap & Glory, Naked, Kiss, Nail Wrap, OPI, LUSH and Montagne Jeunesse. 

How do I enter?

The rules are pretty simple and straightforward:

1. Be a member/follower of the blog via Google Friend Connect (the box in the left hand column)

2. If you can't follow the blog via GFC then I will accept email entries at the normal address (buttonsfriend85@gmail.com)

3. Leave a comment on this post telling me what you would like to see more of on the blog and/or what you find the most useful (i.e. add video tutorials/do more nail posts/fashion is important)

4. Leave a valid email address or Twitter handle for me to contact you on in case you are the winner

5. Spread the word via Twitter or Facebook to all your friends and family - This isn't really an entry requirement and you won't get any extra brownie points but if someone you know wins, then maybe you can divvy up the prize.

That's it!

Like I said, the rules and regulations are straightforward and all entries must fulfill the requirements or else it won't be counted. If you don't leave a comment, name, contact info or be a follower then you are automatically taken out of the loop and lose the chance of winning. It's only one entry per person so if you've left a comment then you don't need to email me your entry because it won't count, and vice versa.

The giveaway is open INTERNATIONALLY and is now live so you can start leaving your comments from here on. I will close the giveaway on Wednesday 29th February at 9pm so there is enough time to get your entries in. Remember, you snooze you lose!

I look forward to reading through all your entries and remember, keep an eye out on Twitter for information about more brands being added to the giveaway.

Ready... Set.... GO!

Lots of 

OPI Muppets Collection

Oh my word!  It's the collaboration of the century!  The muppets vs OPI.

I'm already totally in love with quite a few of the nail colours, and I just know that I'll have to add those polishes to my collection.

With polishes aptly named 'Fresh Frog of Bel Air' (Green Glitter), 'Gettin' Miss Piggy With It' (Bright Red Glitter) and 'Warm & Fozzie' (Metallic Copper), these polishes are a must-have!

My ultimate favourite has to be 'Rainbow Connection'.

AMAZING!

Do you like the new OPI collection?  Which are your favourites? 

Summer Time!

So I'm already shopping for my honeymoon and of course summer is finally on its way!  I recently went and bought a few really nice items for the holiday and really can't wait!  My honeymoon is being held in Cape Town, South Africa!

I'm going to be sipping cocktails at the harbour and go to posh restaurants in Grande West Casino!  I've missed my lovely city.

Reality check!  Back to earth....haha.  So here is a list of what I have bought:

These are my pride and joy!  They are from River Island and cost £69.99.  The heels are a soft coral colour and the platform and heel has a cork effect.  But fear not, you will not wobble around on these!  They are going to look awesome with my tanned legs and I'll be wearing them out at night when I go to parties and cocktail bars!

This dress doesn't look like much on the hanger but when worn out you'll be getting complimented left right and centre!  It is also from River Island and costs about £45.  The bold print gives you a delightful splash of colour and will brighten your day!  It is also very floaty and light, perfect for evening or day wear and very sexy due to a low cut bust-line.  It is one of my favourite finds this summer so far!

Another brilliant find (from last summer season) is Rimmel 60 seconds Coralicious, which retails at about £3.50 at all major super markets and chemists.  This is the perfect hue to pull you into a summery vibe without being too clashy with your outfits!  It is definitely one that I'll be wearing whilst I travel, and perfect to cheer you up on those long-haul flights!  Yummy-licious colour!

My brand new nail polish is OPI Grape-fit.  I recently picked up this purhase from Ebay for £5.99 and £1 P&P, to cheer me up from all the revision I've been doing! This shade is so beautiful and the sorbet shade cannot be beaten!  It looks beautiful on the nails and will add a splash of colour to any outfit!

Then these two top colours are my Barry M nail polishes from their pastel/sorbet range.  One colour is 308 in Berry (which is a soft lilac purple colour that looks like it belongs on an ice cream) and the other colour is 309 strawberry (which is the soft pink milkshake colour).  Both need multiple coats for a colour that pops, but for the price of £2.99 is worth every penny!  Gorgeous colour but at a snip!

I bought this particular shade of nail polish last year in South Africa.  It is Essie's version of Mint Candy Apple.  It is a very soft minty green that has been given a slight twist of blue in there as well.  This will truly be one of the major shades on my finger nails this season because it is very subtle and still sexy.  I think most Essie nail polishes retail for around £3 to £8 and have some really gorgeous shades!

Sally Hansen's 18 Hour Protective Hand Creme is one of the richest and most hydrating hand creme's I have ever tried!  It has a delightfully soft citrus scent that will leave your hands smelling very decadent!  I actually discovered the product during the NEC Bridal Fair in Birmingham when I had a Sally Hansen manicure.  This product makes your skin feel like new and your nails will be stronger and healthier due to the minerals and vitamins contained in this wonderful creme! It retails at around £6. This is a new cult product for me and I'll be continuing using it until I die! c",)

Handbag saviour!  I picked these nail polish remover pads up from Savers, and it is just that, a life saver!  If you have to remove your nail polish quickly for whatever reason, these little pads are brilliant!  They have a nice, soft orange fragrance and is acetone free.  The only down side is the fact that your hands feel a little bit sticky after use.  Maybe if you have wipes with you in your handbag this could be remedied?  These cost less than £1.00 and are well worth that investment!

My final item especially during holiday when my cuticles normally shrivel up and die, is Sally Hansen Cuticle and Nail Oil.  I think this product is an absolute wonder!  It really rehydrates my dry cuticles and nourish the nail and nailbed from within.  My nails look 100% healthier when I regularly use the oil.  It is fairly pricey at about £8.95 but is worth it and will last for a long time.  It is also possible to get discounts and to win Sally Hansen prizes when you join the Sally Club at http://www.sallyhansen.co.uk/user/register and there are videos and help for all sorts of nail problems :)

So that really concludes my blog for today.  I'll be sure to use these products and get the most out of my summer time!

Bon voyage x