Gradient sparkles.

Cracking bit of artifical lighting for you there.

I gave in and got nail extensions. I have stupidly weak nails (my parents say I inherited it from them. Cheers) and any attempts to grow them ended in splitting, breaking and temper tantrums. So I parted with my hard earned cash - hahahahaha - and spent a whopping £21 on these, which a very sweet but slightly rough Chinese lady did for me. She told me I have 'lovely little nails' and then she had to file down the width of the smallest extensions, oops. I told her to leave them clear for me so I can paint them myself. She seemed genuinely gobsmacked by the prospect of me painting my OWN nails.

Anyway, like I said, I painted them myself as soon as I got home. I have no idea what the pink is - some sort of Nails Inc thing I got free with Glamour a while ago (I can't go and look what the name is cause my lazy boyfriend's asleep and it'll only wake him up). It looks very similar to Elizabeth Street, which is available with the current issue that's out. The glittery tips are a Forever21 shade I picked up when I was in Florida in the summer. I did take a look on the website but it seems it's not available in the UK; if you're an American it's called Silver Sparkle. To get the gradient effect, all you need to do is wipe off most of the glitter from the brush, and paint the nail from about halfway up (down? Either way). Repeat, but start a little higher up and with a little more glitter on the brush each time you do it. By doing this you end up with more layers of glitter on the tip, and fewer further down, easy. You'll need a good top coat with so many layers of polish, I will never recommend anything but Seche Vite and you need to buy it now. Like, right now.

AW13 Nail Polish Trends

Walking into Boots and taking a look at the Essie and Barry M counters is enough to leave anyone confused regarding nail polish. When they produce literally(ish) every colour how are you supposed to know which ones are on trend and which will leave you looking like an 80s reject? Well if you actually care (unlike me, my nails are currently sparkly Barbie pink), here's a nice little guide to what shades are bang on trend in this cold weather. If you need to keep your nails subtle, try adding a little bit of colour with a twist on the French Mani. Aside from these, try classic red - always a winner - or any type of jewel tone.

Nude
Chanel Frenzy; Essie Don't Sweater It; Nails at DKNY.

Oxblood
Nails Inc Savile Row; Orly Naughty; Dark tips at Donna Karan.

Camo
China Glaze Elephant Walk; Zoya Evvie; Dark khaki at Christian Dior.

Cobalt
Nicole by OPI If the Blue Fits; Barry M Cobalt Blue; Bright blue at Erdem.

         

High Fashion to High Street: Oversized Coats

Big, oversized cocoon coats were everywhere on the catwalk, and now that trend's been transferred nicely into the high street just in time for this ARCTIC weather we've got (seriously, my entire legs went numb with cold earlier - Topshop Leighs are not good in freezing cold firework displays). They're perfect for layering up and getting nice and cosy, and are a really modern silhouette - something a bit different to what's been in in the past few seasons. Changin' it up, innit. A few examples of the catwalk versions:

As you can see, they're big, exaggerated, long, and that bottom one looks like the sort of thing you'd wear when you reeeeally just want to wear your duvet out and about. The high street versions are altogether more wearable and (more importantly) affordable, so then you have no excuse not to treat yourself to one of Starbucks/Costa's new Christmas specials. And a cake.

The key to styling these coats is the same as with any other item of clothing with masses of volume: you need to keep the rest simple. Slimline trousers, close fitting skirts and no massive chunky boots (sorry Uggs). They're a real statement piece, so let your coat do the talking!

Here are some high street examples of gorgeous oversized coats, so get yourself down to the shops.

Warehouse, £120. For a ladylike nod to the trend, try this neutral coat with a faux (duh) fur collar.

River Island, £100. This ticks all the boxes: heritage, oversized and a gorgeous cosy collar.

River Island, £70. The leopard print makes this one a little bit edgier and lets face it, leopard print is NEVER going out.

New Look, £49.99. If you're a little bit more wary of out-there styles try this classic take on the trend in simple black.

Topshop, £98. Another classic colour - navy - but updated with subtle metallic panels.

Topshop, £110. Finally, trust Topshop to come up with the most dramatic version. If you're brave, this wool blend coat is a serious investment!

Wanderlust.

I have a serious case of wanderlust at the minute. Things in England are currently wet, windy, and utterly miserable, and I'm bored. I've been dreaming about booking a flight and jetting off somewhere beautiful, hot and sunny, and leaving all my cares and worries behind for a few days.
Somehow I don't think my overdraft would appreciate it.
I do, however, have an interview at New Look tomorrow for a nice little PT job while I'm at uni, so please cross your fingers for me. My dreams might be a tiny little bit closer then!

A week on the sunny island of Santorini, lazing by the pool and licking tzatziki off my fingers?

A few days in Croatia, swimming in the sea and snarfing seafood, bread and salads?

Or even a long week in the Bahamas, lying in the sand and eating jerk chicken and mahi-mahi.

So, anyone up for it?


N.B. All images obtained from The Londoner because I am sickeningly jealous of her life and blame her wholeheartedly for my current need to go away.

Current favourite app: Pattrn

Android users, get your phone/tablet/other crazy gadget loaded with Android OS out, and follow my instructions.

1) Open Google Play store.
2) Search for Pattrn.
3) Download it.

Not gonna lie, it's simple. It's an app loaded with gorgeous patterns (no, really?) which you can set as your wallpaper or share it via Facebook or whatever. I just use it to make my tablet look pretty. Here's a screenshot showing some of my current favourites - just click on it to make it bigger:

Now go and play.