Halloween Nail Art Inspiration

By Sarah Redman

Last year i missed Halloween as i was ill, so this year i am combating any illness with happy thoughts from my nails.

Below are a variety of nail designs for Halloween this year. You can do as i have and have something different for each nail or choose one (maybe it goes with your outfit?) and keep the theme across all your nails.

*Warning* you definitely need a steady hand for this, but give it a go. These are Halloween nails after all, so if the face of your ghost gets a little smudged then just call it artistic development and say its to make it look that little bit more scary…

This first hand is my favorite, it was much easier to paint as i’m right handed. It also contains my favorite two designs the mummy face (on my thumb) and the monochrome ghost (on my ring finger). I think for Halloween i will be going monochrome and a mixture of these two designs.

This hand i experimented with texture and colour, to be honest it was pretty fun. I also love how versatile my new Barry M nail foil is!

Products used:

• Rimmel London – Stronger Try Harder Double Duty Base Coat Strengthens & Protects (£4.59)
• Rimmel London – 5 in 1 Nail Treat Base & Top Coat Total Care Action (£4.49)
• Rimmel London – 60 Seconds 800 Black Out (£3.69)
• Barry M – Nail Paint Nail Foil Effects 320 Gold (£3.99)
• Missguided – Splash & Polish Misstaken / Orange (No Longer Sold)
• Nail Art – Black Pen & Crystals (Varies due to multi packs)
• Models Own – Nail Art Pen Black (£6.00)
• Models Own – Nail Art Pen White (£6.00)

I hope this inspires you to sort some quirky nails for Halloween – its not all about the costume.

Please feel free to share your pictures with us on Twitter too!

What did you think of these nails? Do you like the designs or would you be interested in tutorials from us? Leave a comment or Tweet us @thesarahsblog to let us know.

Make up mini haul

By Sarah Redman

I had quite a bit of fun doing my previous haul post, so i thought i would have a go at a make up one. This time it is only a mini one – minimal prices and minimal pieces.

Make up mini haul

First up, Rimmel London Stay Matte Long Lasting Pressed Powder in 003 Peach Glow (£3.99). I normally buy this product in 001 Transparent, i think a light translucent powder is a make up bag essential especially in the summer to sort out that excess “glow”. However, once in a while my skin has a ‘good skin day’ or i have a day off, where i’m not going out, so i want minimal coverage to give my skin a break. I used this product with a light BB cream in the summer, mostly in the evenings – to give some more coverage and achieve a more polished look.

Second is a new product for me, I have wanted it for ages but never justified the extra expenditure (to be perfectly honest i don’t know why i have now either): Barry M Nail Paint, Instant Nail Effects Foil 320 Gold (£3.99). I love the nail foil look and cant wait to try out Barry M’s version of this trend.

Lastly, my staple make up remover Simple Kind to Skin Radiance Brightening Wipes (£4.20). I love these, they are one of the only products and more specifically ranges i have found that do not irritate my skin when removing make up. These are a really great addition to any make up bag, there are also loads of variations for different skin types.

Have you had a little bit of a make up haul recently or do you see any products here you want to try? Leave a comment or Tweet us @thesarahsblog to let us know.

Candy floss nails

By Sarah Redman

It may be a baby boy or Prince George as he is now named, but before he was born I got really into candy floss pink nails. I have been raiding my sisters growing collection of nail polish whilst on holiday and found this lovely shade from Barry M – Strawberry Ice Cream 309. I wouldn’t normally go for such a girly shade but I think the heat has got to me because I can’t stop reapplying at the slightest chip. Although it does take a fair amount to chip it… Nevertheless I owe her a new nail polish! #StoleHerNailPolish
Whilst this is not one of their Gelly range, which I love for its simplicity in not needing a top coat and sometimes not even a second coat #QuickNails, I still love the polish. The colour glides on well (in an air conditioned room, I attempted to paint my nails in 35 degrees centigrade – lets just say I won’t be doing that again), this colour is quite light so to achieve the coverage I wanted I did need two coats.
I’m looking forward to mixing this colour with some of my pastel tone polishes back home, for a dip dye effect or my latest magazine nail lust, the linear style (watch this space!)
Have you found a new colour for summer or are you a fan of Barry M? Let us know and leave a comment or Tweet us @thesarahsblog

New Nude: Faded Glitter Tips

By Sarah Redman

My treat for revision the other day – nails. I am waiting on my delivery of Ciate nail ‘wow kits’, so I thought I would dig into my shoe box of nail polish [Yeah, they fill a large shoe box now…] and find something I haven’t used for a while and have some fun.

So here they are:

(Please excuse the poor state of my nails)

New Nude: Faded Glitter Tips

I decided to give the ‘nude’ nail an update, starting with Art Deco’s 294 Sparkling Beige Ceramic Nail Lacquer –  a Christmas present from the wonderful Josh Johnston, which I haven’t used in a few months. This colour has quite a sheer coverage, so I have three coats on, but it doesn’t feel heavy or peal or easily. The only thing worse than chipping – when you have too much polish on and it just gives up sticking to your nail.

Art Deco’s 294 Ceramic Nail Lacquer

To give this shimmering shade a fun twist I have used Barry M’s 351 Yellow Topaz Glitter 247 Nail Paint – another Christmas present, this time from my sister Gracie Redman. This ‘colour’ as I have been informed by Jem Hill, apparently glitter is now a colour in girl world. But I figure if my parents can paint four colour swatches onto our dining room wall entitled ‘Frosted Dawn’, ‘White Cotton’, ‘All White’, and ‘Wimborne White’ and I still can’t tell the difference between these shades/colours (another debate for another time), then glitter can be a colour! But I digress, this colour is great for a top coat or as I have used it here, for a faded effect from the tip of my nail.

Barry M’s 351 Yellow Topaz Glitter 247 Nail Paint

I love this look, it’s subtle yet still gives your every day look a bit of sparkle. The nail polishes work well together and with the right base and top coat can last for days as small chips can easily be touched up or hardly notice with the pale colour scheme and the light reflection from the glitter flakes towards the end of the nail. The faded tip is a nail art technique I hope to experiment more with pastel shades over the summer months. Keep checking our blog to make sure you don’t miss out!

If you like this look or have experimented lately yourself leave us a comment or Tweet TheSarah’sStyleBlog @thesarahsblog

The Sarah’s love shatter nail varnish

By Sarah Hugill

The craze of glitter nails has dominated the majority of nail stands, almost to the point that I completely forgot about the edgy shatter effect. I love a bit of sparkle but the shatter adds a more urban and quirky feel to any outfit. In case you want to try out this effect yourself, I used Barry M Berry 308 and Barry M 311 Nail Effects, many other brands also offer this look but I adored the soft lavender shade and thought i’d be daring and go for a harsh black shade on top, for ultimate contrast.

Barry M Berry shade

Barry M Nail Effects

A little bit of week day nail glamour

By Sarah Redman Now, every winter my nails seem to fall apart, so needless to say, I spend most of my pay check on a little bit of polish and product for my wonderful writing hands. This means that I …