Rainbow Ombre Effect

You might (or might not!) be happy to hear that I have handed in all of my MA work, except my dissertation. Therefore I will have a little more time to blog in the evenings as I plan to spend 9-5pm researching and writing my dissertation until it is due in September. So, without further ado, on to today's post!

The picture above shows my first attempt at rainbow gradient nails. Yes, my 'ring finger' nail broke right down the other day as I caught it whilst going to reach for uni books on my shelf! Tore the thing off, which hurt badly. As a result, this nail is tiny to compare with the rest. I don't have fake nails to put on it and I'd rather not risk wrecking my natural nails. Here is a brief run through the steps I took to achieve this look, in case you want to replicate it!

1. Apply a base coat to protect your nails.
2. Place a make up sponge in a bowl of water whilst you carry out step three. An optional step would be to put tape around your nails to avoid having to use a cotton bud / Q-Tip to remove the excess polish on your fingers at the end.
3. Apply a white polish to act as a base. I tried it without this step but my natural nail just showed through, so it is an essential step to get the colours looking opaque.
4. Wait for your white base to dry. Now your sponge should have soaked up a good amount of water. We carry out this step as otherwise the sponge will merely suck up your polish and waste it! Squeeze it out and paint the colours of your choice directly onto the sponge in lines. Don't worry about blending them as the sponge will naturally do this for you! Just stripe them on, leaving no gaps.
5. Then use the sponge to essentially 'stamp' the colour onto your nails. You might not get an even finish the first time, so leave the first layer to dry. Then simply repeat the process - don't panic about it spoiling the gradient, if anything it actually helps to blend the colours if they aren't placed over each other exactly.
6. Once you're happy with the opacity of the colours, apply your favourite top coat and you're done! If you didn't put tape on your nails, now is the time to take a cotton bud / Q-Tip and remove any polish that strayed onto your fingers. 

Enjoy! I applied this to my nails, then decided to try and replicate the look on my eyes. This is how it came out:

5 Beauty Tips Vol.1

I have some tips and tricks with regards to make up, skin care, haircare, etc. that I've picked up either through practice of sorting myself out, or from magazines and interviews with make up artists, dermatologists, etc. So I thought whilst I'm struggling to get any decent content on this blog right now owing to technical problems, not being able to take decent photos as I don't know anyone artistic, or time constraints and MA deadlines, I would take the time to impart these with you. I hope you enjoy these posts over the next couple of weeks (maybe even months as I only plan on posting one of these posts a week and I have a fair amount I think might be useful!)

1. Hairstyles - We all want our carefully quaffed styles to last the day (or night!) but don't be tempted to spray enough hairspray on it to widen the hole in the O-Zone layer. Too much product can actually make hair look limp and affect the style over time- instead use a strong hairspray, such as VO5's Strong Hold Weather Resistant Hairspray, and keep it to three spritzes as this should do the trick.

2. Split-End Quick Fix - If you're a poor student like me and want to try to hold off cutting those split-ends for as long as possible, massage three tablespoons of warm olive oil onto dry hair and wrap in a warm towel for 30 minutes, then shampoo as usual. This should seal the ends temporarily.

3. Instant Lip-Plumper -If you have small lips, you might want to steer clear of darker lipstick shades as this can make your lips look narrower. Instead use lighter shades and use a gloss which should help to make them look plumper.

4. Foundation Match - Most beauty bloggers will have heard this one, but I'm including it just in case! Instead of testing the shade of a foundation on the back of your hand, try it on your neck or chin as hands can be a different shade to our faces, especially if, like me, you use creams with SPF or Sun Screen daily on your face, but not always on your hands (you should, by the way!). If the colour blends in well with the skin on your chin or neck and it's hard to tell where you applied it after a few minutes, then it should be right for you.

5. Moisture Surge - If you are suffering from dry patches, or just general dry skin, then consider using a body oil instead of a normal body lotion as it should be more moisturising, especially if applied when still wet/damp from the shower. I swear by body oils and this method in the winter months!

Hope this was helpful!

Nicole x