So a few days ago I had a pedicure for the first time ever. As a student this might sound like a ridiculous luxury and it is certainly not something I can afford to do all the time. However it was such a lovely treat and a really nice way to relax and pamper myself before the boat party that it was totally worth it.

I went to Maddisons Nail and Beauty in Southampton and I cannot believe I have been walking past this place for the last 2 years! Conveniently located on Portswood High Street and right between Costa and Sprinkles making it ideal for a catch up with your friends as you can go for an ice cream/coffee after. Plus they also offer a student discount (even better).


The whole trip was actually my friend Abbis idea and I am so glad she invited me. The interior is gorgeous in soft muted greys making the place feel really fresh and light. The girls who did our nails were lovely and gave the most incredible foot rub. My feet felt so soft and clean after I hardly wanted to put them back in my gross old Converse.

Apologies for the gross picture of my feet but I just wanted to show you how pretty and shiny the result was. I went for a shellac pedicure in a classic red so hopefully it will last a long time. I am thrilled with the result as my feet look so healthy and smooth.Afterwards Abbi and I went and had ice cream for breakfast (obvs) before heading off home to get ready for our night out.

Gonna have to start saving my money because I would love to treat myself again at some point in the future.

A (virtually) free shopping spree!

Check out the awkward rhyming on the post title there. Ah well, really need to get better with them.
Yesterday I went shopping just because I was bored and although I got loads of stuff I only actually purchased one item. Although it was the most expensive, I am hoping I am going to get real value out of it.

So yeah I finished yesterday on a bit of a high. I also got some new things for my room but I will do a seperate post on them another day.

ALL THE PRETTY THINGS <3

1. Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette 
So I did the most sterotypical blogger thing ever and jumped on the Naked Palette hype. But I'm a lifestyle blogger so its allowed. This is literally all over the internet and everyone is raving about them. As I spent most of my lecture yesterday watching YouTube tutorials that all involved this I decided to go see what its all about. My local Urban Decay counter is in Debenhams (who knew?!) and the girl gave me such a lovely make over as I couldn't decide which one to buy. I was so impressed with the Naked 3 palette I actually purchased it. Also seriously regretting not asking her what on earth she put on my lips because it was INCREDIBLE. I  am poor AF right now but I'm also a  bad girl and I don't care. Its so lovely and pretty and I cannot wait to wear it! It also came with a 1 week sample of each of their different eye primer potions which I have been desperate to try. So yeah, that was the only part of the spree that I actually spent real money on.

2. Soft ribbed T-Shirt
I found an unspent New Look Voucher left over from Christmas! The excitement! So I picked up this bad boy which I bought in a size too big because I want it to be slightly slouchy. I haven't tried it on yet and so it could go back. But its just so soft and I'm really into my neutral colours at the moment.

3. Went a little crazy in Boots
I love nothing better than an afternoon to wonder round Boots by myself and sniff out some great beauty buys. I'm pretty pleased with little haul and I think I might have got myself some real bargains. I grabbed myself a Soap and Glory Supercat eyeliner as I have heard all sorts of praise for this, my current eyeliner pen is running out and this seems like a good one to replace it with.
Next I chose a Seventeen Instant Glow Shimmer Brick in pink bronze which seems like an excellent dupe for the Bobbi Brown ones but a fraction of the price. Finally I picked up two new nail varnishes, one from Natural Collection in Pink Manicure as it was so cheap and I've never tried any of their nail varnish. The other was  Barry M Gelly Hi Shine in Sugar Apple as this seems identical to the Essie one in Candy Mint Apple but costs much less.
Best of all none of this cost me a penny thanks to my Boots points! And I've still got money left on it!

Why is everyone hating on the French Manicure?

B

So as we all know, yesterday was Valentines Day and no I am not going to write a post on it because couples who post their relationships all over the internet make me want to vom (but thats a post for another day).
I love nail varnish, like almost as much as I love lipstick and I wanted to make them look pretty for my Valentines Dinner.

Normally for a big occasion I like to paint my nails red to match my lipstick (I'm a feisty kinda gal), but as I was staying in I wanted something a little less in your face.

So I decided on the trusty French Manicure. While on the bus on my way to town to purchase a new white tip pen I did an idle google on French manicures for some inspiration. I got back a ton of pages, blog posts and fashion articles on how to 'update' the french manicure and on 'fun new twists' to put on it.

Now I am all for trying something new but a lot of these ideas were Pinterest worthy and looked tricky. I wanted the standard French manicure so I started to narrow down my google search and got back tons of stuff on how it has 'gone out of fashion', is 'so overdone' and is 'cliche and passse'.

I was stunned by this. Maybe I am not very hip and down with the kids any more but as far as I was aware the French mani is a classic. And classics never go out of fashion. Thats kind of the point of them.

You never hear about people saying a bold red lip, or the classic LBD is 'tired'. Instead it is praised for being a classy and put together look.

What is not to like about the French mani? The whole point is it is so unoffensive and subtle. If it is done well it just looks like you have healthy, well looked after nails. There is a reason it is the top choice for most brides and most people in the know advise it so as not to make your wedding photos look dated in a decades time. Plus the understated look does not detract from the dress.

Maybe it is because in the mid 90's it was massively popular and was the mani of choice when people got acrylics and this probably was tacky. Long overdone nails never look good to me.

In my opinion I say it is time to welcome back the French look and I for one will not stop wearing it just because some fashion magazine has told me to. I want to look elegant from time to time and this goes hand in hand with simplicity. That is exactly what the French Manicure is: simplicity at its best.

Barry M's Winter Nail Colours

I am literally in love with Barry M's A/W Nail Varnish collection this year and every time I go into town I seem to come back with yet another one. Whoops. Here are the four I've collected so far.

1. Berry Cosmo.

Love this bright, happy purple colour. I swear purple is literally the best colour for winter as its so deep and rich. Shown here with one coat and no top coat. Looks great with neutral colours and certainly brightens up any outfit. I've been wearing it all season and I have to keep stopping my sisters stealing it. Everyone else is obcessed with it and I even had a stranger in Boots ask me what colour I was wearing. If you only buy one of these, make it this one as its the most versatile.

2. Vintage Violet                                                I'm sure nobody will be surprised after my above statement to see yet another purple on this list. I just had to buy this as it is so different to any other colour I own and I think it will also work great in Spring. Its such a soft, dusky colour that it instantly makes me feel demure and classy. In fact its so soft, it looks almost neutral on and therefore goes with literally everything. As is it has such a neutral undertone it will look great with most skin tones too. Buy this one if you are looking for something a little different to add to your collection. Two coats, no top coat.

3. Raspberry                                                          I love berry shades of nail varnish and raspberry has to be my favorite. Its so bright, fresh and zingy. It just screams fun and happiness. Its still quite a strong, bold colour so is great for the colder months. I wore this with dark colours to liven up boring work outfits and it worked a treat. This is probably the most 'out there' of these colours and I've got a few friends who I'm fairly sure this is not their cup of tea. But I love it and its going to be making a few more appearances during this cold snap. Shown with one coat, no top coat.

 4. Nightshade
Now this is definitely a winter colour! Its actually a very deep purple and I think it looks great with a vampy lipstick. I can't wait to wear it out to parties when I get back to uni.
Its extremely bold and not a colour for the faint hearted but its really wearable and looks great with virtually every outfit. In particular with a crisp white shirt and its a great way of injecting some style into work wear. Shown with one coat, no top coat.