MUA Fur Effect Nails

MUA have been frontrunners in bringing creative and stylish nail DIYs to the masses at a reasonable price, & the latest instalment, Fur Effects, is no different. Coming in a range of 4 colours, the flocking style nail fluff is perfect for occasions or just something a bit different. The 1.5g pots can be purchased at Superdrug at £3.  With valentines day coming up fast, I went for the 'Fluff & Cuddles' shade, but also got the 'Fluffy Bobbin' shade to try at a later date. 

I used a base shade in a colour as close as I could match, in this instance Ted Baker in 210nn, with a gold highlight nail to break up the colour. The fluff is relatively easy to apply, although getting it out of the pot posed a slight challenge. 

The sprinkler lid means you have to bang on the back of the pot quite hard to get any out, the instructions say that this lid can be removed but I struggled to do so, in fear of breaking a nail, so I persevered. When you have a fair amount loose, paint one nail at a time with another coat of polish and dip into the fluff. Try and roll the nail from side to side, but don't worry if you can't cover all of it. The fluff is easily manipulated once on the nail and can be patted around for an even finish.

It's quite hard to do the fluff effect justice in a photo, but this is an example of how it looks compared to the basic polish;

Brush off any excess fluff and there you have it! Leave to dry and you are ready to flock your way forward with the best of them!

Enjoy! 

Magenta & The Acorn

Nivea Lip Butter

Just a little post today! We are both snowed under with uni work. I just picked up this Nivea Lip Butter in Raspberry Rose after I saw it in this months DARE (Superdrug) magazine and absolutely had to have it! 

The delicate raspberry scent is gorgeous, a delight every time you take off the lid!  I want to eat my own face when I'm wearing it. Perfect for these cold winter months when chapping is every girls worst nightmare, the formula is creamy but light and gives a subtle sheen, leaving lips feeling soft and moisturised. I am a massive fan of Nivea products and have been since forever, my mum always used them so I've grown up with the brand. 

The Lip Butters come in three different flavours, Raspberry, Caramel and Original. Can be picked up at your local drugstore or supermarket, Superdrug retailing at £1.25 and Asda at £1.99. 

Go forth & be kissable! 

MUA Beads Trial

 My flatmate is guest-starring in this post! After prepping our nails with a base coat, we started by putting on a coat of nail polish and letting it dry for a solid base. Applying a thick coat of your chosen colour, and holding the chosen finger over a measuring jug, (for easy transfer of the beads back to pot!) we sprinkled the beads!

They stick easily, all you need to do is pat off any excess, and dip the end of your nail into the excess beads to ensure the whole nail is covered.

To put the excess beads back into the tube, ease off the lid and turn upside down, creating a funnel!

Finish off your other nails and you're all done. 

The website says to add a layer of topcoat over the beads to help them stick in place, but we tried and found this discoloured the beads! So perhaps leave the topcoat off for beaded nails. 

Super cute and relatively easy to do, these are perfect for every day wear, and you could do every nail for a special occasion. 

MUA Nail Constellation Beads (Squee!)

Just a quick post to show off todays Superdrug Shop! Two MUA Nail Constellations beads (exclusive to Superdrug), a pair of adorable pumpkin earrings (£1.99) for halloween & a black Barry.M (£2.99)

Gemini

 One of the perks of working at Superdrug is that I get first pick of what comes into store (that & the discount), & I've been waiting for these MUA Constellation beads for ages! I grabbed two to try first, Libra & Gemini. These are available in 5 colours so theres plenty of choice!

Libra

Priced at a purse friendly £2.50, they are easy to do yourself;
1) Paint your nails with your favourite shade
2) Using the funnel lid, pour the constellation beads on the wet polish
3) Gently press and allow to dry
4) Pour excess beads back into tube (will demonstrate how in a coming blogpost!)

I won't use these tonight as I'm working tomorrow too and there's still delivery to be put on the shelf, which is a total nail ruiner! But as soon as I get round to it I'll update you on how it goes! Super excited to try them out. 

Barry.M.

Although I am a student with a bank balance of zilch, I did a spot of shopping after work today & picked up these Barry.M nail polishes. (Gelly in Prickly Pear, £3.99, the limited edition Web Effects £3.99 & the Basecoat/Topcoat, £2.99). I got the web effects free in Superdrug as I purchased the other two.

First off I'm trying out the Prickly Pear.

I absolutely adore this shade, I've been looking for a lilacy, purple shade for a while now, & at £3.99, I figured I couldn't go wrong! The Gelly quality gives the polish a high-quality shine and although not quite making it look like I'm wearing gel nails, still a nice effect. I added a cheeky coat of pink iridescent glitter on my ring finger to keep it interesting, although this would look nice across all nails. All in all I am quite pleased with this haul!

Easy Outline Nails

This is the easy way to create outline nails, & this really makes the nails pop! When I've had mine like this I get a lot of notice with people asking how it's done. Now, you are supposed to paint the main colour & use a nail pen to outline the edges, but I find this tedious & the effect can be lost. Do be warned that this requires extra drying time due to the layers, so only attempt if you've some spare time!

If you need to get rid of polish you already have on, I really recommend the Bourjois 1 second nail remover, it's around a fiver in Superdrug and is one of the best things I've ever bought. It really gets the polish off fast and leaves a red fruit & vanilla fragrance, delish!

First, prepare & protect your nails with a quality base coat. This stops staining & stops your nails ageing 

Then paint a white base coat. I usually do two coats, but one might be enough as it is just for the edges. 

Carefully paint on your chosen middle colour, I used gray, but brighter colours looks great too! Leave to dry. Add a slick of topcoat - I used a shiny one but a matte top coat gives this look a classy edge - & you're ready to roll!

Syrup Pudding

This recipe is Maple Chomeur, however I'm not really the biggest fan of maple syrup so substituted this for ordinary golden syrup. This dish is so easy to make and is great for anyone with a sweat tooth. Personally, I think it's a great desert to have in the colder months - though you don't have to wait for cold weather to enjoy this pudding! 

To prepare the sauce, in a medium sized pot simmer for 3 or 4 minutes:

3/4 cup golden syrup

3/4 cup brown sugar
½ cup water
3 tbsp butter

1 tsp vanilla extract

Set aside to cool to lukewarm.

For the cake, begin by greasing a baking pan

1 1/4 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup sugar

Place these dry ingredients into a large bowl and mix them together.

Then add 2/3 cup of butter into the mixture and mix, the mixture will be coarse - almost like a crumble.

To this mixture you then add 

3/4 cup milk

1tsp Vanilla extract 

Blend them in until the mixture becomes a batter.  Then pour the mixture into the greased baking pan. Once you have done this, take the syrup mixture and pour this over the cake 
batter and bake for around 35 minutes at 350 F.

Serve in small portions if you can't handle the sweetness and add ice cream for a delicious desert!